A study of 2,083 patients found that doxycycline postexposure prophylaxis (doxy PEP) was highly effective in preventing sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in a real-world setting. Conducted from April 2019 to July 2024 at the Los Angeles LGBT Center, the study analyzed patient demographics, STI testing history, and doxy PEP use patterns. Nearly half of participants were aged 31–40, over half were White, and most (85.2%) were gay or bisexual men. Most were not diagnosed with an STI in the previous year. Among 1,115 patients using doxy PEP for 6 months or more, syphilis cases fell by 86.4%, chlamydia by 89.7%, and gonorrhea by 54.7%, with similar effectiveness across anatomic sites. The findings, published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases, suggest doxy PEP is a promising tool for STI prevention.
Looking ahead: The authors note that while doxy PEP has become more widely used, research still has yet to answer, “important questions about possible tradeoffs or consequences to its consistent use.” Clinical guidelines for doxy PEP are available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
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