In the last 30 years, HIV rates have gone down, in large part because of the game-changing prescription drug pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), which reduces the risk of contracting HIV through sex by 99%. Since the FDA approved the drug in 2012, more people have started to use it, and HIV rates have steadily decreased. However, not everyone sees the same results.

The South had 53% of new HIV diagnoses in 2022 but represented only 39% of PrEP users in 2023. Regionally, Black people made up 48% of new HIV diagnoses in 2022, but only 22% of PrEP users in 2023.  

In a recent collaboration between Fierce Healthcare and new investigative LGBTQ-focused news outlet Uncloseted Media, Anastassia Gliadkovskaya and Sam Donndelinger dive into the HIV epidemic and how it disproportionately affects at-risk individuals in the South. Barriers like a lack of awareness, insurance coverage, and stigma contribute to inequitable access. 

Read the full story at FierceHealthcare.com or UnclosetedMedia.com. 

In this week’s episode of “Podnosis,” Gliadkovskaya and Donndelinger discuss the reporting process and introduce three patients impacted by the HIV epidemic who share their personal experiences.

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• 'I'm another statistic. I feel let down': How HIV prevention stays out of reach for many

• CMS proposes risk adjustment changes, broker fraud crackdown for 2026 plan year

• ‘A mixed bag’: Fifth Circuit rules on ACA preventive services legal case

• Blue Cross NC removes HIV drugs from costly price tiers