AIDSVu Releases New PrEP Data and Launches PrEPVu.org, A New PrEP Equity Platform

From AIDSVu:

AIDSVu has released 2023 PrEP use data on maps and location profiles , showing that while PrEP use has increased nationally by 17% from 2022 to 2023, regional and racial/ethnic inequities still exist, with greater unmet need for PrEP in Black, Hispanic/Latinx and Southern communities. These data underscore the importance of focusing PrEP programs and monitoring metrics on PrEP equity to prioritize communities with the greatest unmet need for PrEP.

AIDSVu provides the most recent and updated data on PrEP use and the PrEP-to-Need Ratio (PnR)—the ratio of the number of PrEP users to the number of people newly diagnosed with HIV– at the county and state-level by age, sex and race/ethnicity (state only). These data inform programs and policies to ensure that communities that are disproportionately impacted by HIV are aware of and able to access PrEP.

PrEP, or pre-exposure prophylaxis, reduces an individual’s chances of getting HIV. According to the CDC, PrEP reduces the risk of getting HIV from sex by about 99% and reduces the risk of getting HIV from injection drug use by at least 74%.

Welcome to PrEPVu

This year, AIDSVu is launching PrEPVu , a new platform to understand PrEP use and equity in communities across the United States.

Through data incubation, analysis and visualization, PrEPVu offers an understanding of PrEP use across the country and the inequities that exist for the people and communities with the greatest unmet need for PrEP. Powered by AIDSVu, PrEPVu offers insights from data, research, and experts to promote data-driven public health policy and action.

PrEPVu Monthly

To further the conversation on PrEP equity, PrEPVu is publishing PrEPVu Monthly, a newsletter on the latest PrEP research, expert commentary, and important policy and community updates. Sign up here today.

2023 PrEP Takeaways:

AIDSVu’s latest PrEP and PrEP-to-Need Ratio (PNR) data encompass trends from 2012 through 2023 down to the county-level, stratified by age and sex. At the state level, data can also be stratified by race/ethnicity. Key findings include:

(PrEP use data is from 2023, and new HIV diagnoses data is from 2022, unless otherwise noted.)

Overall PrEP Use:

• The number of PrEP users in the U.S. increased by 17% from 2022 to 2023, continuing a trend of consistent growth in PrEP use since 2012.
• Nationally, there are 14 PrEP users for every new HIV diagnosis. The PrEP-to-Need Ratio (PnR) has steadily increased from 10 in 2021, to 12 in 2022, to 14 in 2023.
• The South accounted for 53% of HIV diagnoses but only accounted for 39% of PrEP users. The South has the greatest unmet need for PrEP of all regions.

PrEP Use by Race/Ethnicity:

• Black people represent 39% of all new HIV diagnoses, but only accounted for 14% of PrEP users.
• Hispanic/Latinx people represent 31% of all new HIV diagnoses, but only accounted for 18% of PrEP users.
• White people represent 24% of all new HIV diagnoses but accounted for 64% of PrEP users.
• There is a greater unmet need for PrEP in Black and Hispanic/Latinx communities than White communities in all regions of the U.S.
• Regionally, Black people made up 48% of new HIV diagnoses in the South in 2022, but only 22% of PrEP users in the South in 2023; in the Midwest, Black people made up 42% of new HIV diagnoses in 2022, but only 13% of PrEP users in 2023.
• In the South, there were 27 white PrEP users for every new HIV diagnosis among white people. In comparison, there were only 5 Black PrEP users for every new HIV diagnosis among Black people.
• In the West, Hispanic/Latinx people represented 50% of new HIV diagnoses but only represented 24% of all PrEP users.

PrEP Use by Age:

• 64% of all PrEP users in 2023 were between ages 25 and 44 years old.
• Teenagers and young adults (aged 13-24 years) had the greatest unmet need for PrEP among all age groups, with a PnR of 9. That means that for every person in that age group diagnosed with HIV, there were only 9 people using PrEP. People aged 35 to 44 had the highest PnR of 17.

PrEP Use by Sex:

• Among all PrEP users in the U.S., 92% were male and only 8% were female, despite the fact that women comprised 19% of new HIV diagnoses.
• Males have a PNR that is more than two times higher than the PNRs for females, demonstrating that males have a lower unmet need for PrEP.

PrEP Use and Medicaid Expansion:

• In 2023, states that had expanded Medicaid had an average PrEP use rate that was 1.3 times higher compared with states that had not expand Medicaid.
• In 2023, states that had expanded Medicaid had an average PnRthat was almost twice as high compared to states that had not expanded Medicaid.
  • Note: 41 of the 50 US states + D.C. had adopted and implemented Medicaid expansion as of December 2023.

*Note: The PrEP-to-Need Ratio (PnR)—the ratio of the number of PrEP users to the number of people newly diagnosed with HIV—serves as a measurement for whether PrEP use appropriately reflects the need for HIV prevention in a geographic region or demographic subgroup. A lower PNR indicates more unmet need for PrEP.