G-A-Y Bar, a nightlife fixture in London’s Soho, turned into a pop-up sexual health clinic last week, offering vaccines and DoxyPEP to hundreds of patrons. The popular gay bar partnered with 56 Dean Street, an NHS clinic specializing in sexual health and HIV prevention, to host the September 18 event, with another scheduled for September 25.
The first pop-up drew about 550 people, with lines stretching down Old Compton Street. Inside, booths were turned into makeshift consultation rooms where patrons received advice, as pop anthems played, reports the BBC.
Lawrence O’Connell, a senior nurse at 56 Dean Street, said the goal of the pop-up is to reduce stigma and anxiety around sexual health and to meet people where they are.
According to the BBC, gay and bisexual men accounted for 75% of syphilis and 70% of gonorrhea cases in London last year. Nationwide, gonorrhea diagnoses hit a record high of more than 85,000 in 2023 — triple the 2012 figure — before dropping to 71,000. Health experts warn of a growing number of antibiotic-resistant cases, while syphilis has also continued to rise.
The vaccine offered, Bexsero, was originally developed to protect against meningitis B. Recent studies suggest it may cut the risk of gonorrhea by about 40%. Two doses are needed for full protection.
Alongside the vaccine, health workers prescribed DoxyPEP, a dose of doxycycline that, when taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex, lowers the risk of STIs such as chlamydia and syphilis. It is currently recommended only for gay and bisexual men and trans women who have recently had an STI or who regularly have new or multiple partners.
O’Connell cautioned that the vaccine and DoxyPEP should not be seen as standalone solutions, but used alongside other prevention methods such as condoms or PrEP.
The D.C. Council has voted unanimously to advance a bill requiring health insurance companies to cover the cost of HIV prevention drugs, including medications used for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP).
The vote came after the Council unanimously approved an amendment removing language added in committee that would have required insurers to fully cover only one PrEP drug of their choosing.
The amended bill now states that, for plans issued or renewed after January 1, 2027, an insurer "may not impose cost sharing, require prior authorization, or impose any medically unnecessary restrictions or delays for the coverage of HIV prevention services, PEP, or any formulation of PrEP approved by the FDA."
A recent study of injectable pre-exposure prophylaxis found that twice-yearly injections of lenacapavir -- marketed as Yeztugo by Gilead Sciences -- do not have clinically significant interactions with gender-affirming hormone therapy.
"In the most gender-diverse Phase III PrEP trial conducted to date, lenacapavir had no clinically significant impact on feminizing or masculinizing gender-affirming therapy concentrations," the study’s researchers concluded, as reported by POZ.
The study, led by Dr. Jill Blumenthal of the University of California San Diego, examined whether lenacapavir interacts with gender-affirming hormone therapy, including estradiol (a form of estrogen) and testosterone. Because those hormones are metabolized by enzymes such as CYP3A4 -- which lenacapavir can inhibit -- the researchers analyzed whether the drug altered hormone levels.
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