NCSD Highlights Importance of CDC Guidelines on Doxycycline as STI PEP 

For Immediate Release: October 2, 2023
Contact: Elizabeth Finley, efinley@ncsddc.org, 919-749-7309   

Washington, D.C. — On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a draft guidelines on doxycycline as post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) for sexually transmitted infections (STIs.) Doxycycline as STI PEP gives patients a new option to use common antibiotic – doxycycline – within 72 hours after sex to prevent bacterial STIs. David C. Harvey, executive director of the National Coalition of STD Directors (NCSD) released the following statement:  

“New innovations to prevent STIs are rare. Research showing that taking doxycycline within 72 hours after sex can prevent gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis is one of the biggest game changers in STI prevention in a decade.” 

“As soon as research demonstrated the effectiveness of doxycycline as STI PEP more than a year ago, health department STI programs and the nation’s largest STI clinics started offering it to prevent STIs and the negative health consequences of having an STI. Today’s draft guidelines from the CDC are a critical next step toward helping patients get access to this STI prevention tool by ensuring health systems can offer doxycycline as STI PEP and insurers cover the cost to fight an out-of-control STI epidemic in America. “ 

“The stakes are high as STIs continue to rise to historic levels for the 9th straight year. We need to capitalize on every opportunity we have to prevent new infections. We’re encouraged to see the CDC move forward with updating the STI treatment and prevention guidelines to match what is already going on in health departments and clinics across the nation and to make this drug available to those who need it.”

“The release of today’s draft guidelines is an important step toward ensuring every person who needs access to doxycycline as STI PEP can get access to it, but this alone won’t end America’s STI epidemic. The Biden Administration and Congress must do everything in their power to fund STI prevention programs, including those implementing this new prevention strategy, and provide the resources necessary to expand STI public health prevention, care, and research programs,” said David C. Harvey, Executive Director of the National Coalition of STD Directors.  

Visit the Doxy as STI Command Center for Implementation Resources