Islatravir

Merck’s newly unveiled HIV education program, “Your Hive of Whole Health,” is buzzing with the help of a queen bee in famed actor and HIV advocate Debbie Allen. Announced at the 2026 U.S. Conference on HIV/AIDS (USCHA) in Anaheim, California, in September, the initiative brings tools, resources and community support together in one place to help people with HIV assemble their own support “hive.” The idea was born out of a “hive” metaphor that speaks to people working together toward a common goal, Merck’s U.S. HIV business unit lead Conrod Kelly explained in an interview with Fierce. As well as encouraging personal care circles of family, peers and healthcare providers, the program promotes whole-person, holistic health that stretches beyond an HIV diagnosis. Through a website , Merck offers health information and tips on physical conditions to keep an eye out for when living with HIV, such as blood sugar, bone health and cholesterol. Other guidance covers emotional well-being topics such as depression and anxiety, while social health resources look to help people shake off shame or fear related to their diagnoses and draft a supportive care team. All of the resources and tips are also wrapped up in a 49-page downloadable “Hive Keeper” guided workbook that helps those with HIV keep tabs on their physical health, social health, basic needs and emotional well-being. As modern medicine has brought a slate of innovative treatments and preventatives to the HIV drug landscape, the diagnosis is “no longer a death sentence,” Kelly said. However, this means that the U.S. HIV population is aging, with over half of the disease population currently over 50 years old. With the “Hive of Whole Health,” Merck is reminding this population that medication to suppress HIV is “just one part of being healthy.” The company also hopes to free people from internalized stigma and shift from “just focusing on their disease to focusing on thriving,” Kelly said. “It’s an opportunity to say, you know what, you've done well, you've taken all the right steps. Now focus on the larger you, and not just the you through the lens of your disease,” he explained. A hero video that runs with the campaign represents the diverse HIV population with a montage of different people living with HIV, including an older man meditating in nature, a group of drag queens laughing backstage and others. To further voice the campaign’s messaging, Merck enlisted Emmy-nominated actress Debbie Allen, a longtime HIV advocate. “My journey with the HIV community began during a time of fear and crisis, but today we are championing a new era of joy, inclusion and well-being,” Allen said in a company press release. “This campaign is a reminder that when we care for the whole individual, we strengthen the entire Hive.” Allen directed the groundbreaking 1991 “A Different World” episode that made the TV show the first network sitcom to address HIV, bringing a destigmatizing conversation to millions of living rooms across the country. With the “A Different World” revival newly launched on Netflix and HIV stories in mainstream media on the decline in 2026, Merck sees a path to “amplify, to break through, to connect to the culture,” Kelly said. “A new generation needs to understand that HIV is still out there, that we're making progress toward ending the epidemic,” Kelly said. “But if education and knowledge is low, then that creates an opportunity for a resurgence.” The company created the program with the help of an advisory council representing community organizations and advocates. Allen and other advocates helped Merck debut the campaign at a premier plenary session at USCHA, which also featured cultural performances and “purposeful moments” for attendees to learn and connect, according to the company. Merck has a deep history in HIV, with its scientists having been on the front lines of HIV research since the epidemic was declared in the 1980s. In 2021, the company teamed up with leading HIV drugmaker Gilead Sciences to jointly develop and commercialize a long-acting combination of Gilead’s lenacapavir and Merck’s islatravir. As a single-tablet treatment, the lenacapavir and islatravir combo recently proved its worth as what could be the first complete weekly pill on the HIV treatment landscape after acing two phase 3 studies . Meanwhile, Merck launched a new option for certain people with virologically suppressed HIV earlier this year in its Idvynso, a two-drug single-tablet regimen that proved non-inferior efficacy to Gilead’s leading Biktarvy in a head-to-head trial.