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New HIV prevention guidelines say doctors should not 'gatekeep' PrEP

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 01 Dec, 2025 10:16 AM

A coalition of doctors across Canada is releasing a new guideline for prescribing medications that can prevent HIV infection, with a strong focus on increasing the promotion and awareness of the expanding class of drugs.

The clinical guideline provides 31 recommendations and 10 good practices for prescribing antiretroviral medication before and after a potential HIV exposure to prevent infection.

Lead author Dr. Darrell Tan said 19 physicians spent the last three years reviewing the latest research to write the new guidelines, as the range of available pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) options has expanded since the last guidance was released in 2017.

The recommendations are aimed at reducing the rise of HIV infections in Canada over the last several years, in pursuit of the country’s goal to eliminate the sexually transmitted infection as a public health threat by 2030.

Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov

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