Just in time for STI Awareness Week (April 13–19), MISTR—the largest LGBTQ+ sexual health platform in the United States—is marking a game-changing milestone: one year of providing free DoxyPEP to patients nationwide.
And the results? A dramatic 50% drop in STI positivity rates among its users.
Since launching access to free DoxyPEP (doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis) in 2024, MISTR has seen massive adoption. Over 74% of its patients now request DoxyPEP bundled with their PrEP prescriptions, signaling growing awareness and demand for this powerful STI prevention tool.
“The science is clear—DoxyPEP works. PrEP works. The problem isn’t awareness, it’s access,” said MISTR founder and CEO Tristan Schukraft. “We’ve built a platform that patients actually want to use. We’ve removed the stigma, the waiting rooms, the paperwork—and we’re seeing real results.”
MISTR – Free Online PrEP DoxyPEP & STI Testing. Photo: MISTR
Breaking Barriers to Care
MISTR currently serves more than 500,000 patients across all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, offering free online access to PrEP, DoxyPEP, long-term HIV care, and at-home STI testing in both English and Spanish.
Through a telehealth model, MISTR has significantly expanded access in underserved communities, particularly in the South and among Black and Latino populations—groups that continue to face disproportionate rates of HIV and other STIs.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
- Over 68 million people in the U.S. have an STI at any given time.
- Only 2.4 million cases were officially reported in 2023.
- Just 1 in 4 people at risk for HIV are currently prescribed PrEP.
- Among Black Americans—the most impacted by new HIV diagnoses—only 13% of eligible individuals are on PrEP.
By comparison, Black patients represent 18% of MISTR’s user base.
“When care is accessible, affirming, and stigma-free, it reaches the communities that need it most,” Schukraft said.
A New Era of Prevention
Carl Schmid, executive director of the HIV + Hepatitis Policy Institute, called MISTR’s progress “a blueprint for what’s possible.”
“MISTR’s results show what happens when we remove barriers and bring prevention to where people actually are,” he said. “This is the kind of innovation we need—community-driven, tech-enabled, and stigma-free.”
Beyond digital care, MISTR collaborates with more than 65 nonprofit organizations to help fund treatment for the uninsured and provide culturally competent, sex-positive services at scale. Its reach closely aligns with CDC Priority Jurisdictions and the federal Ending the HIV Epidemic goals.
Looking Ahead
With the next generation of prevention—like long-acting injectable PrEP—on the horizon, MISTR is already gearing up to integrate those options into its platform.
“We’re scaling to reach every person who wants protection but can’t—or won’t—navigate a broken healthcare system,” Schukraft said. “We’re showing what’s possible when prevention is stigma-free, community-rooted, and actually convenient.”
As STI Awareness Week shines a spotlight on rising infection rates and prevention gaps, MISTR’s success story offers a timely reminder: when care is easy to access, people show up—and stay healthy.
