THE NSW government has announced a clinical trial to rapidly expand the availability of Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) to about 3700 people at high risk of bring infected with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).
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NSW Health will support the trial of PrEP to be led by Professor David Cooper, the director of the Kirby Institute at the University of NSW.
Under PrEP, antiretroviral drugs used to treat HIV infection are given to HIV-negative people to prevent them acquiring the disease.
"The addition of PrEP to our state's HIV response brings us a step closer to our goal of achieving the virtual elimination of HIV transmission by 2020," NSW Health Minister Jillian Skinner said.
"It is a real game changer for NSW."
Mrs Skinner said PrEP was recommended by the World Health Organisation and other international and national expert bodies for people who were at high risk of acquiring HIV infection.
"It has been shown to be very effective in preventing HIV infection," she said.
Mrs Skinner reported on World AIDS Day the NSW HIV Strategy 2016-2020 would "build on the success" of the NSW HIV Strategy 2012-2015.
"NSW is the only major Australian state achieving declines in newly-diagnosed HIV infections," she said.
"Internationally, only San Francisco is achieving a higher rate of decline in new infections."
Meanwhile, the Victorian government has announced it will develop guidelines for doctors to prescribe PreP even though the treatment has not been approved by Australia's drug regulator.
The state's HIV community has welcomed the move.
