Achievements and gaps to provide pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for women across the European Region – Results from a European survey study

PrEP Scale-Up and PEP in Central and Eastern Europe: Changes in Time and the Challenges We Face with No Expected HIV Vaccine in the near Future

“…A large-scale survey including the general population in Britain suggested that the majority of those who reported practicing unsafe sex did not have a high perceived risk of HIV infection [ 36 ]. There are also disparities in PrEP awareness and risk perception among other vulnerable groups such as ethnic minorities, women, and displaced people [ 36 , 37 , 38 ]. People with lower education levels and low risk perception are reported to have significantly lower interest in using PrEP [ 33 , 35 ].…”

Women for science and science for women: Gaps, challenges and opportunities towards optimizing pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV-1 prevention

“…Women represent an important population to consider in the evolution of PrEP and unlike other HIV prevention strategies, a range of efficacious PrEP options create the opportunity to empower women to take control of their own health without requiring negotiation or consent from their partner. Yet, women are not always seen as a “key target” for HIV prevention and in many countries are not even considered as a group at risk of HIV infection ( 248 ). As a consequence, PrEP services focused mostly on key populations, such as MSM and, to a lesser extent, trans -gender women ( 248 – 251 ), and the overall utilization of PrEP by women remains low.…”

“…Yet, women are not always seen as a “key target” for HIV prevention and in many countries are not even considered as a group at risk of HIV infection ( 248 ). As a consequence, PrEP services focused mostly on key populations, such as MSM and, to a lesser extent, trans -gender women ( 248 – 251 ), and the overall utilization of PrEP by women remains low. In 2018 only 7% of woman were prescribed PrEP in the US ( 252 ) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control in 2019 estimated that less than 10% of PrEP users in Europe were women (including trans -gender women) ( 253 ).…”

“…In 2018 only 7% of woman were prescribed PrEP in the US ( 252 ) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control in 2019 estimated that less than 10% of PrEP users in Europe were women (including trans -gender women) ( 253 ). Recent European survey studies evidenced that, while women’s access to PrEP remains limited ( 248 ), those who perceive themselves to be at high HIV risk are interested in using PrEP ( 254 ). Similar results were reported in two US survey studies within cis- women attending a family planning clinic or presenting for HIV/STD testing.…”

PrEP for women in Europe: a systematic literature review

“…A survey of 34 countries in Europe conducted by Women against Viruses in Europe (WAVE), a subcommittee of the European AIDS Clinical Society, demonstrated that women's access to PrEP in Europe remains limited [4]. Only six countries reported having specific recommendations for PrEP in women (Austria, France, Germany, Ireland, Ukraine, and the UK); 15 countries (47%) reported specific obstacles to PrEP access for women (Austria, Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine, and the UK), where women were neither included in PrEP guidelines nor targeted in clinical studies as they were generally not seen to be at risk for HIV acquisition.…”