MISTR, the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ sexual health platform, just marked one year of providing free DoxyPEP, and STI positivity rates have dropped by more than 50 percent among MISTR’s more than 500,000 patients, according a MISTR press release issued this week.
In just 12 months, the press release notes, more than 74 percent of patients now request DoxyPEP bundled with their PrEP prescriptions, “highlighting massive demand for this underutilized prevention tool.”
Tristan Schukraft, founder and CEO of MISTR, said, “The science is clear: DoxyPEP works. PrEP works.
“The problem isn’t awareness, it’s access. We’ve built a platform that patients actually want to use,” Schukraft added. “We’ve removed the stigma, the waiting rooms, the paperwork —and we’re seeing real results.”
MISTR now serves more than 500,000 patients across all 50 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico, offering free online PrEP, DoxyPEP, long-term HIV care and at-home STI testing in both English and Spanish, according to the press release.
Through telehealth, MISTR reaches into high-need, high-impact LGBTQ+ communities —especially in the South and among Black and Latino populations where HIV and STI rates remain disproportionately high.
According to CDC data:
• More than 68 million people in the U.S. have an STI at any given time.
• Yet only 2.4 million cases were officially reported in 2023.
• Only 1 in 4 people at risk for HIV are prescribed PrEP.
• Among Black Americans, the group most impacted by new HIV diagnoses, just 13 percent of eligible individuals are on PrEP.
At MISTR, Black patients represent 18 percent of the user base, proving that when care is accessible, affirming, and stigma-free, it reaches the communities that need it most.
“MISTR’s results show what happens when we remove barriers and bring prevention to where people actually are,” said Carl Schmid, executive director of HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute. “This is the kind of innovation we need: community-driven, tech-enabled and stigma-free.
“We applaud MISTR’s leadership and look forward to continuing the work ahead to ensure everyone at risk can access tools that keep them healthy.”
Through its collaborations with more than 65 nonprofit organizations, the press release notes, MISTR helps fund care for the uninsured and provides culturally competent, sex-positive care at scale. Its reach aligns directly with CDC Priority Jurisdictions and Ending the HIV Epidemic goals — demonstrating that prevention not only works, it scales.
As the next generation of prevention — including long-acting injectable PrEP — nears broader approval, “MISTR is already preparing to integrate it into its national platform, ensuring patients have even more options to stay protected.”
“We’re scaling to reach every person who wants protection but can’t — or won’t — navigate a broken healthcare system,” said Schukraft. “We’re showing what’s possible when prevention is stigma-free, community-rooted, and actually convenient.”