Update

Barriers to PrEP must be removed

09 December 2019

Oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has shown considerable impact in reducing new HIV infections when provided as an additional HIV prevention choice to gay men and other men who have sex with men, transgender people and sex workers.

PrEP is now being rolled out in sub-Saharan Africa for serodiscordant couples and adolescent girls and young women who are at higher risk of HIV infection. Uptake is high when community-level stigma and misconceptions are addressed, when women and girls are provided with accurate and relevant messaging about PrEP and when PrEP is framed as an empowering prevention method and a positive life choice.

However, further global expansion of PrEP requires countries to address regulatory issues and other barriers that are stopping people who want to use PrEP from doing so.