That is the exact tension outlined in a new article published this month in JAMA. The article describes pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, as “one of the greatest inventions in medical history.” When taken as prescribed, PrEP offers near-complete protection against HIV, but the science keeps advancing. Today, we have more prevention options than ever before. Daily oral PrEP. Injectable PrEP every two months.
And now, a long-acting injectable option that only needs to be given twice a year. That is the promise. But here is the concern.
Despite these advances, JAMA reports that more than 38,000 people were newly diagnosed with HIV in the United States in 2024, and only about one-third of the people who could benefit from PrEP are actually receiving it. The barrier is not the medication. The barrier is access. Experts quoted in the article point to funding cuts, insurance obstacles, and reduced clinic capacity as growing threats to continued progress.
These barriers fall hardest on communities in the South, communities of color, and people already facing healthcare instability. According to infectious disease physician Anna Person, we have everything that is needed to end the epidemic, but she also warns that policy and funding decisions are not keeping pace with medical innovation.
That is the tension of this moment. On the pro side, biomedical science has delivered tools powerful enough to end HIV transmission. On the con side, political choices risk undoing more than a decade of hard-won gains. Florida has the tools. The question is whether we will use them.
