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VIDEO: Raphael J. Landovitz, MD, reviews barriers, solutions to use of PrEP in women
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The use of pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, in women is “a little bit more complicated” compared with men, according to Raphael J. Landovitz, MD, of the UCLA Center for Clinical AIDS Research and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
Landovitz reviews the efficacy of PrEP for preventing HIV infection in homosexual men and transgendered women, but notes it has been less effective in women. He discusses the potential reasons for this, including issues related to medication adherence and stigma.
Landovitz also highlights ongoing studies investigating how to use PrEP more effectively in women. This agent will be “particularly important” for women who are HIV-negative and trying to conceive children with men who are infected with HIV, he says.
According to Landovitz, ongoing research “will hopefully clarify, exactly, how to best package [PrEP], how to optimize its use and how to make it available to everyone who needs it, regardless of their ability to pay and their insurance and legal status in this country.”