July 25, 2023
DoxyPEP Use Rising to Prevent STIs, But Health Officials Share Concerns
Emell Adolphus READ TIME: 2 MIN.
The use of the antibiotic doxycycline as a kind-of Plan B pill to avoid STIs after high-risk events is on the rise and having a positive impact on cutting infection rates. But some health officials warn that it could be a short-term solution that creates a long-term problem.
As discussed in a column by Fenit Nirappil of the Washington Post, doxycycline is catching on as a way to prevent people from catching STIs.
"It's the first major intervention we've had for STIs since the vaccine for human papillomavirus" nearly two decades ago, said Jonathan Mermin, who leads STI prevention for the CDC. "But it is a new intervention, and because of that, there are potential benefits and potential risks."
The benefits includes the antibiotic working similarly to daily HIV PrEP pills, or pre-exposure prophylaxis; only, the pill is taken after exposure, for which reason the treatment is deemed DoxyPEP (post-exposure prophylaxis).
"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention plans to issue guidelines later this summer for deploying the treatment, known as DoxyPEP, in hopes of addressing fears among medical professionals that preventive use would fuel antibiotic resistance – and the rise of drug-resistant superbugs," writes Mermin.
In some cities, doctors and public health officials have embraced the prescribing of the medication for high-risk populations such as men who have sex with men.
"Just like PrEP was a game changer, this empowers individuals to make choices about their sexual health," said Jorge Roman, senior director of clinical services at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. "It doesn't always have to be about condoms."
However, for people who have more than one or two sexual partners a year, the risks may outweigh the benefits.
Anu Hazra, co-medical director of Howard Brown Health, an LGBTQ+ health provider in Chicago, explained antimicrobial resistance is "probably the largest public health threat we have," but it pales in comparison to the rampant use of antibiotics in the meat industry.
