Gilead Sciences has applied for approval of Truvada (tenofovir/emtricitabine) as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in Canada, HomoCulture.ca reports.

If the country’s health ministry, Health Canada, approves the new indication for the antiretroviral (ARV), Canada would follow the United States to become only the second nation in the world to give the green light to this new means of preventing HIV.

Gilead, which confirmed to POZ their new PrEP application, seeks approval to use daily Truvada to be used along with other safer-sex practices to prevent HIV among adults at high risk for contracting the virus.
 
Truvada is already approved in Canada for use in combination treatment for HIV. This new indication for the drug’s use as prevention among HIV-negative individuals still requires Health Canada’s review.

Health Canada’s review process typically takes one year.

For the latest on PrEP, click here and here.