MISTR's National PrEP Day – October 10, 2025

HIV has been one of the greatest public health challenges of the last half-century. Since the first cases were reported in the early 1980s, the virus has disproportionately impacted LGBTQ+ communities, particularly gay and bisexual men, Black and Latino communities, and people living in the South. Advances in medicine have transformed HIV from a fatal diagnosis into a manageable chronic condition, but prevention has always been the ultimate goal.

In 2012, the FDA approved the first PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) medication, a once-daily pill that prevents HIV with up to 99% effectiveness. Despite its groundbreaking potential, PrEP uptake lagged due to stigma, lack of awareness, high cost, and unequal access. By 2023, only one in four people in the U.S. eligible for PrEP were receiving it, even though more than 39,000 people were newly diagnosed with HIV that year.

MISTR, an LGBTQ-owned telehealth platform, set out to change that by making PrEP free, online, and available in all 50 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico. By 2025, MISTR has signed up more than 500,000 patients. One in three people in the United States on PrEP get it from MISTR.

Recognizing the need for a national moment to rally awareness, MISTR launched National PrEP Day on October 10, 2025. The campaign’s goal: sign up 10,000 new PrEP users in 10 days, with support from celebrities, influencers, nightlife venues, and LGBTQ+ leaders. By spotlighting PrEP in mainstream and LGBTQ+ media and securing official proclamations from cities and states, National PrEP Day established itself as an annual reminder that we can end HIV, if we make prevention accessible to all.

Today, National PrEP Day is both a celebration and a call to action. It reminds us that HIV is still spreading, but also that the tools to stop it are already in our hands. Ending HIV is not a matter of science.  It’s a matter of will, access, and equity.