The Nova Scotia government says it will add a drug that helps prevent the HIV virus to the provincial pharmacare program.
Pre-exposure prophylaxis – often referred to as PrEP – can be taken daily by people who are at a high-risk for HIV infection.
READ MORE: Over 2,000 people prescribed HIV prevention drug since B.C. fully funded it, health minister says
The Department of Health and Wellness says eligibility criteria will be based on national guidelines and recommendations from the Canadian Drug Expert Committee.
This announcement comes on the heels of news that Nova Scotia saw a significant increase in the number of new HIV infections so far this year.
WATCH: N.S. seeing sharp spike in HIV cases
In the first six months of 2018, the province recorded approximately 16 new cases of HIV – a number usually seen over the course of a year.
READ MORE: ‘Game-changer’ HIV prevention drug could be leading to lower condom use: studies
British Columbia, Quebec, Ontario and Saskatchewan publicly fund PrEP, which will be added to the program in Nova Scotia as of Monday.