New federal data from confirms what frontline HIV providers have long known: when people living with HIV are engaged in comprehensive, community-based care, outcomes dramatically improve According to newly released 2025 data from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), patients receiving care through the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program achieved a 91.4% viral suppression rate in 2024. That figure stands in stark contrast to national averages and offers powerful evidence that the Ryan White model is not just effective, but essential to ending the HIV epidemic.
The National Context: Why 91% Matters
To understand how meaningful this achievement is, it helps to look at the broader U.S. landscape.
National Viral Suppression (U.S. Overall)
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), only about 65% of people with diagnosed HIV in the United States were virally suppressed at their most recent viral load test in 2022. Viral suppression is defined as a viral load below 200 copies/mL. That means the Ryan White Program’s 91.4% suppression rate is nearly 40% higher than the national average.
An Important Clarification
This gap does not suggest that HIV medications are ineffective in the general population. Instead, it highlights a core reality of HIV care in the U.S.:
- The CDC’s 65% figure includes all people with diagnosed HIV, regardless of whether they are actively engaged in care.
- Many individuals remain undiagnosed, intermittently engaged, or fully disconnected from care.
- In contrast, Ryan White patients are actively retained in comprehensive care, which includes medical services, medication access, case management, and wraparound supports.
In other words, the difference is not the medicine, it’s very clearly the care model.
Ryan White Outcomes Show What’s Possible When Care Is Integrated
HRSA’s newly released data underscores the scale and impact of the Ryan White Program:
- 91.4% viral suppression among patients receiving HIV medical care in 2024
- Nearly 602,000 people served, the highest in the program’s 35-year history
- More than half of all people diagnosed with HIV in the U.S. receive care through Ryan White
- 47% of patients are age 50 or older, reflecting success in long-term disease management
At the same time, HRSA notes that approximately 87% of new HIV transmissions occur among people who are undiagnosed or not in care reinforcing that engagement, not treatment efficacy, remains the primary challenge.
Why Ryan White and STD Clinics Outperform Larger Health Systems
Ryan White clinics often operating alongside or within STD clinics consistently achieve better viral suppression rates than much larger hospital and health system settings. That performance advantage is not accidental.
These clinics are designed to:
- Reduce barriers to entry and retention
- Serve patients with complex medical and social needs
- Deliver high-touch, longitudinal care grounded in trust and continuity
When combined, Ryan White and STD clinics represent the most effective HIV care delivery infrastructure in the country and they rely heavily on 340B to sustain that success.
The Critical Role of In-House Pharmacies and 340B
One of the most powerful and often underappreciated drivers of viral suppression is pharmacy integration. In-house pharmacies, especially within Ryan White and STD clinics, enable: (1) Same-site medication access at the point of care (2) Real-time adherence counseling and regimen optimization (3) Faster therapy starts and fewer treatment interruptions and (4) Strategic reinvestment of 340B savings into case management, transportation, outreach and other wraparound services.
These capabilities are exactly what is needed to move outcomes from 91% to 95%+ viral suppression the level required to materially reduce community transmission. Alchemy’s mission is built around this insight: If we want to close the final gap, clinics must control the pharmacy channel.
The Data Matches the Drug Mix
It is no coincidence that Biktarvy and Descovy rank among the top 10 drugs in the 340B program in 2024. These therapies are clinically proven and widely used across Ryan White and STD clinics.
The evidence that this model works is embedded directly in HRSA’s viral suppression data. The medications, the care model, the pharmacy integration, and the 340B framework are working together, exactly as intended.
Conclusion: The Blueprint Is Proven — Now It Must Be Protected and Scaled
The latest HRSA data delivers a clear message: Ryan White works, STD clinics work, 340B works and in-house pharmacies tie it all together.
The challenge ahead is not discovering a new model, it is protecting, scaling, and strengthening the one that already delivers world-class outcomes. At Alchemy, our work is focused on helping clinics take what is already achieving 91% viral suppression and push it even further toward 95%+, fewer new infections, and a future where in-house pharmacies in STD clinics and RW clinics continue to further drive the prevention and treatment of HIV.
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