Prime Highlights:
- FDA-approved at-home tests for gonorrhea, chlamydia, trichomoniasis, and HPV allow women to test privately and get results quickly.
- Two new oral gonorrhea drugs, Nuzolvenc and Bluejepa, make treatment easier and help fight antibiotic resistance.
Key Facts:
- CDC data shows gonorrhea, chlamydia, and serious syphilis cases are declining in the US, supported by easier access to testing and treatment.
- Home testing kits include telehealth support, letting patients speak to doctors and receive prescriptions faster than traditional methods.
Background:
New testing and treatment options for common sexually transmitted infections are now available in the United States, offering hope for lower infection rates. Recently, the FDA approved the first at-home test for women that can detect gonorrhea, chlamydia, and trichomoniasis. It also cleared the first home test kit for the virus linked to cervical cancer.
Many people avoid sexual health testing because of discomfort or stigma. Home testing gives patients a private and convenient option, which may encourage more people to get checked and treated earlier.
Visby Medical introduced a three-in-one home test after receiving FDA approval.
One of the biggest issues in STI care has been ensuring patients who test positive receive timely treatment. These at-home tools help close that gap by speeding up diagnosis and care.
Studies showed Visby’s test is over 98 percent accurate, similar to tests used in clinics. Another new option, Teal Health’s HPV test, lets women collect samples at home and send them to a lab, following new federal guidelines that now support self-collection.
New pills for gonorrhea, like Nuzolvenc and Bluejepa, are easier to take than injections and help fight antibiotic resistance.
Overall, these new options are good news, but it’s important to make sure everyone can use them.
