Antibiotics could ‘dramatically reduce’ STIs, STAT says, though findings apply to small group of men

Does the story adequately discuss the costs of the intervention?

Not Satisfactory

The story does not address the cost of preventative use of doxycycline. Based on the average use in this study of about seven pills per month, the cost of the drug might be about $30/month. But that cost does not include regular lab testing, which the study authors said should be mandatory in this sort of high-risk group. The cost of clinic visits also was not addressed in the story. Even though doxycycline is not an expensive drug by itself, any plan for widespread, routine use would entail much more than just paying for pills. We also think it would be interesting to consider the cost-effectiveness–does the reduced disease burden reduce costs, too?

Does the story adequately quantify the benefits of the treatment/test/product/procedure?

Not Satisfactory

The story gives some relative reductions, but doesn’t provide enough comparative data to give readers the scope of the benefits. For example, overall, without the antibiotic, the rate of new infection, given that condoms were not used, was 42% (45 men), and with the antibiotic, 22% (28 men).

Also, the story implies that there might be a benefit for anyone who is sexually active. Although it notes that the study participants were “men who had frequent unprotected sex with a number of male sex partners,” the story does not make clear just how unusual the men in the study were. For example, while the story reports that syphilis rates for the general US population have risen to almost 9 per 100,000 during a year, the syphilis infection rate in the control group was 11 percent (that is, 11 per 100, not 100,000) over 9 months; a rate that is more than 1,000 times the rate in the general population. The story should have made the point that the men in the study do not resemble the general population.

Does the story compare the new approach with existing alternatives?

Not Satisfactory

The story should have noted that this study did not compare the approach of routinely taking a pill after sex to a more conventional approach of regular testing followed by treatment when an infection is found.

Does the story establish the true novelty of the approach?

Not Satisfactory

A summary box in the journal article states that what is new about this study is that it tested an antibiotic in a group of very high-risk men who have sex with men and who were already enrolled in a trial of a drug that may reduce the risk of HIV infection. This very narrow scope is largely lost in the story.