Gilead’s US HIV prevention campaign and South African study reveal challenges in PrEP uptake

Drugmaker Gilead Sciences has launched a national "Up to Date" campaign in the United States aimed at young Black adults. The multimedia effort, featuring comedians Nicole Byer and Devon Walker, promotes HIV testing, discussion of pre‑exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) with health‑care providers, and aims to reduce the disproportionate impact of HIV on Black women, who accounted for more than half of new diagnoses in 2024.

A separate population‑based study in KwaZulu‑Natal, South Africa examined PrEP initiation among adolescent boys and young men. Of the 1,078 eligible participants, only 13% started PrEP, with the majority of initiations occurring in high schools rather than health facilities or community sites. The findings suggest that expanding PrEP services to non‑traditional settings could improve uptake among high‑risk youth.