October 6, 2025
As the only pharmaceutical company solely focused on HIV and the leader in long-acting options, ViiV Healthcare’s vision is to leave no person living with HIV behind. We’re proud to have led the way transforming the landscape in HIV prevention and treatment options, but we know the fight is far from over.
The Disproportionate Impact of HIV on Our Youth
Despite groundbreaking progress in recent years, HIV remains a battle for our young people. One in five new HIV diagnoses in the U.S. are among young people. Only about half of young people know their HIV status—a barrier to ending the HIV epidemic, as knowledge of one’s status is the first step in HIV care. Additionally, young people are the least likely to be connected to HIV care in a timely manner. Relative to other age groups, youth also reported experiencing the most HIV-related stigma in the past year.
ViiV continues to foster positive action for young people, supporting innovative solutions and nurturing programs to help young leaders and their allies close gaps in HIV prevention, care, and supportive services for young people living with or affected by HIV.
The disproportionate impact on young people remains a concern—and one we’re committed to addressing. ViiV continues to foster positive action for young people, supporting innovative solutions and nurturing programs to help young leaders and their allies close gaps in HIV prevention, care, and supportive services for young people living with or affected by HIV.
ViiV’s Commitment to Supporting Youth Affected by HIV
We’ve been at the forefront of progress, but our work goes beyond medicine. ViiV is deeply committed to changing the way HIV is seen, felt, and talked about, especially within youth communities.
In 2017, ViiV founded Positive Action for Youth (PAFY), its first youth-focused grant initiative which leverages medical mentorship as a tool to help young people living with HIV to stay engaged during the transition from pediatric to adult care. PAFY now offers community-driven and medical mentoring, leadership development, and peer navigation programs. Today, the initiative has more than thirty-four grantees and $9.8 million distributed across the country.
In addition to PAFY, we strive for progress through other youth-focused programs and initiatives, such as our annual Youth and Community Summits. Through ViiV’s signature mentorship program, youth leaders build relationships with mentors, nurturing youth leaders’ self-identified personal and professional areas of growth while fostering intergenerational connections to empower the next generation of leaders in the HIV space.
The Fight is Far from Over
At ViiV, our ambition is to achieve an HIV-free generation. We remain steadfast in our commitment to young people, who we believe hold the power to end the HIV epidemic. We are dedicated to reducing the gaps in HIV care and supporting youth living with or affected by HIV. We’re proud to be sponsoring this year’s Healthy Teen Network conference and together with our partners, we will continue to drive tangible change and amplify the voices of young people impacted by HIV. To learn more, please visit viivhealthcare.com/en-us/ and viivhealthcare.com/
