PrEP, a medication highly effective in preventing HIV infections, is failing to reach one of the groups that would benefit most – Black women in the United States.
Context: PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) reduces the risk of contracting HIV, but over a decade after its first approval in the US, it has largely failed to reach Black women aligning with their sex assigned at birth.
* Doctors, researchers, and HIV treatment providers point to systemic factors such as stigma and racism as major barriers to the uptake of PrEP among this group.
Details: Some of the specific obstacles faced by Black women include non-inclusive marketing and medical professionals’ hesitance to prescribe PrEP. They also experience the scarcity of treatment options more acutely due to increased poverty rates among Black Americans.
* Regular testing and doctor visits required for taking PrEP present a “tremendous barrier,” as they can be pricey and logistically challenging. For example, starting on PrEP can cost over $2,000.
* Despite partial coverage by private insurance plans, CDC researchers found around 50,000 people had uncovered PrEP costs in 2018.
The Big Question: The south, where the highest rates of new HIV diagnoses occur, is finding access to PrEP especially challenging.
* Not only are Black women inhibited by costs, but social stigma in areas such as the “Bible Belt” makes discussing PrEP with healthcare professionals difficult.
What they’re saying: Scholars and advocates argue that “undoubtedly failing Black women” with current practices, changing the system is necessary.
* Better job opportunities, affordable healthcare, and stable housing are necessary to expand Black women’s access to PrEP.
* Advocates also call for more inclusive marketing targeting Black cisgender women and a shift away from the existing “two-tier system” where PrEP medication options are safer and insured for men than for women.
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