San Francisco health officials now tell doctors they can offer doxy-PEP, an antibiotic taken after sex to help prevent some bacterial infections, to cisgender women and anyone assigned female at birth who meets certain risk criteria. Clinicians may also consider it for anyone, regardless of gender. The city's approach, updated in May, is broader than federal guidance.
The expansion comes as the city reports falling infection rates. In 2025, San Francisco saw about a 24% drop in syphilis, an 18% drop in chlamydia and a roughly 5% drop in gonorrhea compared with 2024, according to city health data cited by the University of California, San Francisco. NPR and KQED reported on the city's rollout on Oct. 11.
