Regional Victorians at risk of HIV infection could soon have access to drugs that prevent the spread of the blood-borne virus.
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Alfred Health are seeking ethical approval to extend their study of pre-exposure prophylaxis drug Truvada into five more Victorian cities: Bendigo, Shepparton, Wodonga, Ballarat and Gippsland.
But while Melbourne residents will be able to enrol in the PrEPX study from July 26, no exact date has been set for the trial in Bendigo and other cities.
An Alfred Health spokesperson anticipated regional sites would not join the statewide study until September and encouraged people in those places to enrol in the Melbourne program before transferring to a more convenient clinic.
Regional Victorians had already enrolled for the study, the spokesperson said.
To be eligible, people must be over the age of 18 and partake in sex or drug use that puts them at high risk of HIV infection. Participants must test negative to HIV and undergo a kidney function test at the trial’s outset.
One Bendigo resident already taking PrEP and who asked not to be named said he made the choice to import a generic form of the drug from overseas instead of waiting for a trial to become available in his city.
The drug costs him $160 every three months, a price he is happy to pay for the confidence it gives him in his sexual health.
“I see it as an extra layer of protection, like a fail safe,” he said.
While he was disappointed by the delayed roll-out into regional Victoria, the man welcomed all efforts to safeguard people against HIV.
The Victorian government and Victorian AIDS Council are also sponsors of the study, with the latter launching a local branch of its service in Bendigo in February.
VAC chief executive officer Simon Ruth said education and services relating to HIV prevention had traditionally been easier to access in big cities where there was a larger population of gay men.
“We certainly hear from people living with and at risk of HIV in regional Victoria who face stigma within their communities, and access to support and services is vital whether you live in Melbourne or in the regions,” he said.
The PrEPX study follows last weekend’s declaration by Kirby Institute scientists that AIDS was no longer a public health issue in Australia now HIV therapies were widely accessible.
Head epidemiologist Andrew Grulich believed eliminating new HIV infections could be a reality by 2020.
About 1000 Australians are diagnosed with the virus every year.