Positively Aware

U.S. retreat from WHO harms global health and the HIV response

The U.S. withdrawal from the @who.int has made Americans less safe, further damaged diplomatic relationships that the country relies on and will make us less healthy, writes @avac.org’s Mitchell Warren in a First Person op-ed.
positivelyaware.com/us-retreats-from-who

“Clinics and case managers lose time scrambling, and that’s time taken from patient care,” says Florida HIV advocate Kevin Maloney about the uncertainty over changes coming to the state’s ADAP.
www.positivelyaware.com/uncertainty-over-florida-adap

Starting March 1, Florida’s AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) will tighten its income eligibility requirements and no longer cover the HIV drug Biktarvy.
positivelyaware.com/florida-guts-adap

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., warned that silence in the face of injustice is a choice. The fight against HIV is inseparable from the fight for civil rights—ending stigma, expanding access to care and ensuring that people with HIV are treated with humanity.

New Orleans has long ranked consistently near the top nationally for new and existing #HIV diagnoses: “HIV is not a fringe issue here,” writes Morris Singletary in a commentary for PA. “It is a defining public health challenge.”

PA wants to hear from you: What’s one thing that living with HIV has taught you that you’d want someone to know?

Post your answer here. Select responses to appear in the next issue.

Comm. McDonald: “While influenza activity is elevated, there are simple steps New Yorkers can take to protect themselves & those around them, including getting vaccinated, staying home when sick & practicing everyday preventive measures.” health.ny.gov/press/releases/2025/2025-12-26_flu_cases.htm

Results from a phase 2 clinical trial evaluating once-weekly oral islatravir plus lenacapavir (ISL+LEN) show the combo to be statistically comparable to the popular once-daily pill Biktarvy through 48 weeks in people with HIV who are virally suppressed.
www.positivelyaware.com/ISL-LEN-phase-2

Have you ever wanted to get PrEP but encountered resistance from your care provider, or had your HIV prevention medication rejected by insurance? PA is doing a story and wants to hear about your experience. Comment here or DM us.

The challenge now is translating historic firsts into sustained access, ensuring lenacapavir reaches not just thousands but millions and that communities most affected by HIV have both voice and agency as this prevention revolution unfolds.
By Edith Magak.
www.positivelyaware.com/lenacapavir-...

For World AIDS Day, a couple of friends who are also living with HIV joined PA editor Rick Guasco for a chat. You can see the fun they had hanging out.
.
positivelyaware.com/beto-terry-and-me

With so many options for HIV prevention at a time when HIV programs face massive cuts, education has never been more important—for health care providers and patients alike, says PrEP user Sean Leviashvili
www.positivelyaware.com/prepping-health-care

PrEP is an effective—if not the most effective—HIV prevention modality. But the actions of this administration risk all the gains we’ve made, at a time when HIV rates are rising, say @jncherabiemd.bsky.social & Dr. Julia Rosebush. #SaveHIVFunding
www.positivelyaware.com/hiv-prevention-on-the-brink

“...in 1990, my dad told me he was HIV positive,” writes pharmacist Rebecca Jackson. “...I didn’t care how or when he acquired HIV. All I cared about was being there for him, learning everything I could about this disease, and helping him live.”
www.positivelyaware.com/my-why

From promise to programs—How to ensure PrEP science is translated into global impact

The real promise of lenacapavir for PrEP goes beyond the drug itself, by offering more choice, more flexibility and a better chance that everyone can find an HIV prevention option that fits their life, writes @johnmeadejr.bsky.social.
www.positivelyaware.com/from-promise-to-programs

CDC moves to end research on non-human primates; experts say HIV research will be impacted

“When we’ve exhausted all other methods for addressing a question, the non-human primate plays a critical role in helping [with] that last step before we go into clinical trials,” says the director of the Washington National Primate Research Center
www.positivelyaware.com/cdc-primate-research-to-end

“...progress means nothing when the people who need it cannot access it. For Black women, barriers still show up everywhere,” writes Latonia Wilkins, BSW. “The science has moved forward, but the system surrounding it is not equitable.”
www.positivelyaware.com/i-saw-myself

Results from the ARTISTRY-1 study show the new bictegravir-lenacapavir combo was statistically comparable to other existing pill regimens, although specific data were not disclosed.
positivelyaware.com/bic-len-holds-promise

Despite plans to downsize and dismantle UNAIDS by the end of 2026, former program coordinating board member Christian Hui says the organization is uniquely positioned to lead the global fight against HIV.
www.positivelyaware.com/articles/why...

“...we have never been closer to losing it all—the systems, services and scientific breakthroughs that have brought us to this point are all at risk unless we come together,” says Jeremiah Johnson as HIV advocates ring the opening bell at Nasdaq to call for action.
positivelyaware.com/opening-bell

His doctor had once told him, “Once you’ve developed a diagnosis of AIDS, you will always be a person living with AIDS.” If “AIDS” is now considered an obsolete term, advocate Robert Toth asks, “What does that make me?”

www.positivelyaware.com/no-one-gets-aids-anymore

Four advocates share their insight, identify key players in Congress, and talk about how they persuade and inform legislators to preserve funding for HIV programs—and what you can do to help.
positivelyaware.com/PA-roundtable-1

Since last year’s Transgender Day of Remembrance, at least 55 trans folk have been lost to violence in the U.S., according to the Trans Murder Monitoring Project.
Let remembrance turn to resolve, to make a world where every life is respected and cherished.
tdor.translivesmatter.info

Brian Minalga, MSW, talks with two researchers, Sanjay R. Mehta, MD, and Susan Little, MD, who have developed a new approach to molecular HIV surveillance that could address stigma and privacy-related concerns.
.
positivelyaware.com/hiv-surveillance-data

With record sales of its Biktarvy and PrEP drug Descovy and the debut of Yeztugo, its six-month injectable for PrEP, Gilead Sciences reported $7.3 billion in 3rd-quarter sales—$5.3 billion of it from its HIV business. Also, Biktarvy gets an extended lease on life.
positivelyaware.com/gilead-3q-sales

Funded by ViiV Healthcare, maker of cabotegravir, the ongoing study is looking at injection site reactions over a six-month post-injection period to measure participants’ willingness to use either #cabotegravir or #lenacapavir, produced by Gilead Sciences.
positivelyaware.com/clarity-study-results

11 years ago the hep C drug sofosbuvir was launched at $82,000 for a 12-week regimen. “we predicted that it could be made for $68–$136”—now the generic version is $21, says the researcher whose team who now says $25 for lenacapvir for PrEP is possible.
positivelyaware.com/25-dollar-lenacapavir

“I’ve learned to thrive with and because of my diagnosis,” writes Bridgette Picou. “Yet, I find myself back full circle. Worrying about dying and HIV. Or rather, once again worrying about how not to die while navigating life with HIV.”

positivelyaware.com/living-by-not-dying

Over 500 PrEP users & #HIV PrEP advocates sent a letter sent to the CEOs of CVS Health and drugmaker Gilead Sciences, urging their 2 companies to get Gilead’s twice-yearly PrEP drug, Yeztugo, onto the pharmacy benefits manager’s list of drugs covered by insurance.
positivelyaware.com/prep-advocat...

“I worry about people that aren’t that angry,” says Martina Clark.
“...The damage is done and [we] will have to start over again…the way they’re doing it is evil.”

Read more: positivelyaware.com/articles/channeling-rage