- Phyu Mon Latt, Ei T. Aung, Kate Maddaford, Kai J. Jonas, Christopher K. Fairley, Sarah J. Martin, Carole Khaw, Rick Varma, Caroline Thng, Manoji Gunathilake, Vincent J. Cornelisse, Haoyi Wang, Teralynn Ludwick, Ethan T. Cardwell, Michael W. Traeger
- Catriona S. Bradshaw, Dash Heath-Paynter, Benjamin Riley, Daniel Grace, Fabian Y. S. Kong, Eric P. F. Chow
Correspondence: phyumon.latt@monash.edu
Correspondence: eric.chow@monash.edu
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Abstract
Objective
To examine the awareness, usage and perceptions of doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis (doxyPEP) for sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention among gay and bisexual men and transgender (trans) and gender diverse people in Australia.
Design
Cross-sectional online survey.
Setting, Participants
National multi-site survey in Australia from 1 July 2024 to 30 November 2024, recruiting from 13 sexual health and community clinics, 6 general practices, social media, dating applications, and university portals. Gay and bisexual men and trans and gender diverse people aged ≥ 18 years living in Australia were included in the study.
Main Outcome Measures
DoxyPEP awareness, ever use, recent use (past 12 months), dosage regimens, sourcing methods and planned future use.
Results
Among 2095 participants, half (1080/2095, 51.6%) had heard of doxyPEP. Of those aware, 323/1080 (29.9%) had ever used doxyPEP, and 306/1080 (28.3%) were recent users. DoxyPEP awareness and usage varied by HIV status and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) use (p < 0.0001). Nearly two-thirds of users had taken the recommended 200 mg within 72 h after sex (205/323, 63.5%). Among recent users, 29/306 (9.5%) reported recent syphilis diagnoses, and 85/306 (27.8%) had ≥ 2 STI diagnoses in the past 12 months. Of those who had ever used doxyPEP, 135/323 (41.8%) obtained prescriptions from clinicians, 17/323 (5.3%) obtained it online, and 28/323 (8.7%) purchased it in person overseas without a prescription. Of those aware of doxyPEP, 490/1080 (45.4%) planned to use doxyPEP in the next 12 months, primarily to prevent chlamydia (460/490, 93.9%), gonorrhoea (422/490, 86.1%) or syphilis (386/490, 78.8%). Some intended to prevent Mycoplasma genitalium (92/490, 18.8%) or mpox (36/490, 7.4%). Among non-users, 306/756 (40.5%) worried about antibiotic resistance.
Conclusions
DoxyPEP use was happening quickly but often involved non-recommended regimens and unsupervised sourcing. Urgent educational interventions and improved clinical access are needed for safe implementation.