Researchers discuss how PrEP medication can help lower HIV infections in women

People at risk for contracting HIV from sex can reduce their risk of infection by up to 99% when they take pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), an antiretroviral medication, as directed.

However, most women either don’t know about the medication or don’t think it is necessary for them to take. The François-Xavier Bagnoud Center at the Rutgers School of Nursing seeks to build awareness among women through the “Take PrEP & Take Charge” campaign.

Andrea Norberg, executive director of the François-Xavier Bagnoud Center (FXB Center), and Judith Collins, marketing manager at the FXB Center, discuss the need to educate women at risk for HIV about the relevancy and benefits of PrEP.

What is the “Take PrEP and Take Charge” campaign?

Collins: The campaign is aligned with New Jersey’s plan to end HIV entitled “A Strategic Plan to End the HIV Epidemic in New Jersey by 2025.” This plan was released in 2021 and represents a commitment by the state of New Jersey to end its HIV epidemic by reducing the number of new HIV infections by 75%. The plan prioritizes increasing access to testing, treatment and prevention. Education and awareness campaigns are big parts of this strategic plan. The “Take PrEP and Take Charge” campaign is one of many efforts launched since 2021 to address the plan’s goals.

We decided to focus our first campaign on HIV prevention—more specifically on PrEP, which is a prevention strategy that is highly effective against sexual transmission of HIV when taken as prescribed.

The campaign—which includes advertising in the community as well as in clinics in English, Spanish and Haitian Creole—is directed at Black and Hispanic/Latina heterosexual cisgender women over 18 who live in Newark, East Orange, Irvington, Paterson, Jersey City, Union City, North Bergen, Elizabeth and Plainfield.

The campaign was launched on July 1 and includes robust in- and out-of-home marketing: local billboards, NJ Transit buses and light rail cars, PATH station and interactive kiosk ads, Google search and display ads and social media marketing, as well as clinic posters and T-shirts for health care providers to help engage their patients in the discussion about PrEP.

Why does the campaign focus on women?

Norberg: Recent data shows that women account for greater than 20% of new HIV diagnoses in New Jersey, and greater than 80% of HIV acquisitions among women are attributed to heterosexual contact with a male partner.

Most women do not know what PrEP is, and if they do, they do not think it’s for them, as they don’t see themselves at risk. Most of the PrEP marketing is for men who have sex with men or transgender women; heterosexual cisgender women are largely left out of the conversation, the images and the messaging. We want the women to know the risk of acquiring HIV is real and that PrEP is an available and viable prevention option for them, too.

What are you hoping to accomplish?

Norberg: HIV-related stigma is a barrier that prevents people with or at risk for HIV from accessing the care they need to stay healthy and prevent HIV transmission. Increasing consumer awareness and education about stigma-free HIV prevention, care and treatment options is one step in the plan to reduce new HIV infections by 75% by 2025.

PrEP is for people who do not have HIV. It is a medication that is a safe and highly effective way to prevent HIV. With PrEP, more women can take charge of their sexual health, regardless of their relationship status, sexual orientation or sexual behaviors. PrEP is approved for women in the form of a once-daily pill or bimonthly injection; it can be taken discretely without fear or shame. Most health insurance plans and Medicaid will pay for PrEP, and there are programs to help get PrEP for free or at a lower cost for people without health insurance or Medicaid.

The launch of the campaign is timely: During the International AIDS Society’s annual conference in July, findings from the PURPOSE 1 study–which evaluated the safety and efficacy of PrEP as a twice-yearly injection for adolescent girls and young women–were presented, showing that results are promising and are a potential game-changer for reducing new HIV infections.

Patients should always discuss the best PrEP method with their health care provider. Women can find health care providers, information and resources in safe and inclusive spaces in New Jersey through the campaign’s website. The site also includes information for women to determine if PrEP is right for them as well as information about PrEP safety, efficacy, eligibility, access and tips on starting the conversation about PrEP with partners and health care providers.