STD Directors Applaud Release of Official Doxy PEP Guidelines

New guidelines on revolutionary treatment offer potential to curb out-of-control STI epidemics 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 4, 2024 

Contact: Elizabeth Finley, efinley@ncsddc.org, (919) 749-7309  

Washington, DC –  Today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released an MMWR detailing official guidelines for the use of doxycycline as post-exposure prophylaxis, or Doxy PEP. With Doxy PEP, a patient can take the common antibiotic doxycycline within 72 hours of a sexual encounter to prevent common STIs, including syphilis. David C. Harvey, Executive Director of NCSD, released the following statement: 

“The official Doxy PEP guidelines released today will pave the way for more access to one of the most important advancements in STI prevention in decades. We applaud the CDC and Admiral Rachel Levine for moving these guidelines forward so health departments and providers have fewer barriers to providing the care people need.”  

“While the guidelines are a significant step forward, STI prevention is dangerously underfunded and communities do not have the resources they need to apply existing strategies. However, simply having a tool is not enough if people don’t know it exists and providers don’t know how to use it.”  

“With out-of-control STI epidemics raging, Congress must provide resources to train healthcare providers, inform patients, and continue to research important questions like how to monitor resistance and how Doxy PEP could benefit other populations. We cannot squander this moment to make sure this revolutionary step forward can reach the people who need it most,” said David C. Harvey, Executive Director of NCSD. 

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