The NSW EPIC study, which provides free access to medication proven to prevent HIV transmission, has now been running for three months in Albury.

The Victorian government announced its own version of the study this week, which will come to Wodonga later this year.

Ms Kincaid, a sexual health clinical nurse consultant at the NSW Public Health Unit in Albury, said the studies symbolised just how far Australia had come in preventing transmission of the disease.

“I’ve worked in HIV since the mid 80s,” she said.

“We buried people and we were looking after people with palliative care – it was horrendous.

“Then to see medication treat people so they didn’t die these horrible deaths any more, and now to know that this medication prevents HIV, to me, is really amazing.”

The EPIC study aims to reduce new infections of HIV by half per year – 357 were recorded across the state in 2015.

Ms Kincaid said the daily drugs, PrEP, had provided a sense of relief for the people who had signed up.

“It’s a pill that is proven, through studies with eligible gay men, injecting drug users and heterosexual people from around the world that proves PrEP prevents HIV prevention,” she said.

“It’s like the contraceptive pill women take to prevent pregnancy – you take it once a day to prevent infection occurring.

“It provides another layer of assurance that they’re not going to get HIV and it’s a real sense of relief for them.”

Ms Kincaid said the Victorian study was welcome news, as enrolments for the EPIC study would close in December.

“We’ll get as many people from both sides of the Border enrolled in our clinics, but then Wodonga will be able to take over,” she said.

Gateway Health’s HIV clinic in Wodonga has been operating for 18 months and could be a possible service provider for the study.

Sexual health co-ordinator Catherine Orr said the studies were one of the “last steps in the chain” in the national goal of ending HIV by 2020.

“You’re allowing people who identify as at-risk to protect themselves with something more reliable than just condoms,” she said.

“If we prevent transmissions, you can eliminate the disease, so it’s very exciting.”

The drugs can be prescribed by doctors, but were often sought overseas as Australian costs were about $600 to $800.

Dr Orr said it was important Truvada, PrEP medication, was listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme as it was expensive.

“We’re hoping eventually Truvada will be PBS-listed and we’re prescribing Truvada with HIV management for patients,” she said.

“Prescribing it outside of the PBS is too expensive – if it were listed, it would make a big difference.”

Correction: An earlier version of this report incorrectly quoted Dr Orr as Lauren Coelli. It is also not confirmed the PrEPX Study will be run at Gateway Health – the study will come to Wodonga, however the service provider is not confirmed as of yet.