GSK and Shionogi’s ViiV Healthcare is seeking to raise awareness around what the company sees as a forgotten element in HIV: young people with the infection.
ViiV, which markets 15 medications in the HIV space, has created “Still Here” as a social media video campaign designed to get young people talking about HIV.
The video begins with a talk show theme, with the host introducing “our next guest from the 1980s.” The HIV treatment landscape has changed over the years, the host points out, with it now being a “very manageable condition.”
HIV, represented by a robotic head on a human body, responds that it is “manageable but still going viral.” The robot goes on to say that whilst it used to “dominate the headlines,” now, “no one talks about me.”
The short video uses TikTok-style transitions and shows the robot trying to gain attention from passersby on the street, but from scene to scene it’s continuously ignored.
The video ends with a call to action: “HIV thrives in silence. Use your voice. Start talking about HIV.”
ViiV explained in a release that young people, specifically those aged between 13 and 24 years old, account for almost 20% of all new HIV diagnoses nationwide.
The company finds, however, that 73% of 18- to 24-year-olds have never been tested for HIV.
It also notes that “there is a disproportionate impact on Black youth, who accounted for 50% of new HIV youth diagnoses in 2022.”
“Many young people, including those disproportionately impacted by HIV, are unaware of options to prevent and treat the disease,” ViiV said in the release.
The campaign is designed to boost education around pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) drugs, which can help prevent the disease, as well as HIV care.
“The reality is that young people are overlooking HIV, and that must change. We created ‘Still Here’ to connect with this audience in a new way about HIV,” Bithiah Lafontant, Head of Enterprise Communications at ViiV Healthcare, said in a statement.
ViiV is owned by British Big Pharma GSK and shareholder Shionogi after Pfizer exited its part in the company back in January.