Elton John and former Sen. William H. Frist are urging a faster global response to HIV and AIDS, arguing that the world now has the medicines, funding and delivery tools to move from progress to action. Their central message is blunt: the fight against AIDS should not be slowed by bureaucracy when prevention and treatment are already within reach.
They point to long-acting HIV PrEP, a six-month injection that can stop the virus, as one of the clearest signs that the field has advanced. Yet they warn that the scale of the epidemic still demands urgency, citing 630,000 HIV-related deaths and 1.3 million new HIV infections in 2024 alone.
A crisis that changed, but did not disappear
The article recalls the earliest years of AIDS as a period of fear, loss and almost no medical options. People were left with little more than basic care and hope, while families were torn apart and millions of children around the world grew up without support.
That context matters because the current moment looks very different. American leadership and global cooperation helped turn despair into progress, but the disease still kills and spreads at levels that the authors call a delivery failure rather than a scientific one.
PEPFAR remains central to the response
A major focus of the piece is the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, which the authors describe as one of America’s greatest global achievements. Since its launch in 2003, they say it has saved more than 26 million lives, prevented about 8 million new infections in children, and helped reduce economic and health care costs in the world’s poorest countries.
They also say PEPFAR has been linked to a fourfold increase in U.S. exports to Africa. Even so, they argue that the next phase requires a strategic transition toward country-led HIV programs, supported by the Global Fund and backed by sustained U.S. commitments.
Funding exists, but implementation lags
The authors note that Congress and the president approved funding in the 2025 and 2026 budgets to support that transition. They say that billions of dollars remain stuck in Washington instead of reaching communities where HIV continues to claim lives.
They also say those funds include support for newly negotiated agreements between the U.S. government and partner countries, along with resources for the Global Fund. In their view, these pieces are meant to work together so lower-income countries can gradually take greater control of their HIV responses.
Why scale matters now
John and Frist argue that the next phase should not focus only on a narrow set of populations. They say PEPFAR data from the end of 2025 showed declining prevention, treatment and diagnosis for most groups, which makes broader rollout necessary for both children and adults.
They also stress the value of faith-based and community-based groups, which can reduce stigma, expand testing and help people stay in care. In places where fear and judgment still shape behavior, they say these trusted networks remain essential to public health outreach.
Technology could widen access faster
The article highlights newer delivery models as another part of the solution. It points to the U.S. investment in Zipline, the drone company that has changed how medical supplies reach hard-to-access areas, as an example of how logistics can save lives.
The authors say drones, artificial intelligence and telehealth platforms could help deliver medicines and services faster and more efficiently. They argue that these tools can expand access to tens of millions more people if governments and partners commit to using them at scale.
A push for faster rollout
The piece also calls for the State Department and the Global Fund to consider doubling the current rollout plan for new HIV prevention drugs. The stated goal is to reach more communities without delay and to bring back community health workers, many of whom have been terminated.
The authors describe these workers as the people needed to “get shots in arms” and sustain contact with those who need prevention, testing and treatment. They say that without them, even strong funding and advanced medicines will not translate into protection on the ground.
The political and public case
The article closes by framing the fight against AIDS as both urgent and practical. It says a recent poll by the president’s pollster found that 80% of voters support maintaining U.S. funding for PEPFAR so it can continue providing preventive and life-saving treatments.
John and Frist argue that the tools already exist, including advanced medicines, available funding, proven programs and established partners. Their message is that the United States and its global partners should now move quickly, because the remaining challenge is not scientific possibility but execution.
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