ClinicalTrials.gg
Active, not recruitingNCT06188442Updated Jun 5, 2026

Superiority of On-demand PrEP Versus PEP on Using Doxycycline for Preventing STI in MSM

A Phase 4 interventional study of DoxyODPrEP and DoxyPEP in Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Bacterial, Syphilis and Gonorrhea, sponsored by Chinese University of Hong Kong. Active, not recruiting at 1 site in Hong Kong. Open to male participants aged 18 Years and older, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-06-05.

Sponsored by Chinese University of Hong Kong · Phase 4, Interventional, and Prevention

Phase
Phase 4
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
300
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
Male
01

Study summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare the effectiveness of doxycycline taken for on-demand pre-exposure prophylaxis (DoxyODPrEP) and its post-exposure use (DoxyPEP) in preventing bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STI), including chlamydia, gonorrhoea, and syphilis among men who have sex with men (MSM). The main questions it aims to answer are:

  1. Is DoxyODPrEP superior to DoxyPEP?
  2. Are both regimens safe?
  3. Does the MSM community accept the use of doxycycline to prevent bacterial STI?

Participants will be asked to take doxycycline according to the study arm they are randomly assigned to, and attend regular clinical follow-ups during the 2-year observation period. Researchers will compare the bacterial STI incidences between the two groups to see if DoxyODPrEP is superior to DoxyPEP.

Read the detailed description

Participants would be randomly assigned to either DoxyODPrEP or DoxyPEP arm, and be instructed to take doxycycline with the respective dosing schedule. They would be followed up for 24 months for nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) and antibody tests against bacterial STI, namely chlamydia, gonorrhoea, and syphilis. The subjects and investigators would not be blinded due to its open-label nature, as the two arms' dosing schedules are different. Participants in the DoxyODPrEP arm would be instructed to take two doxycycline hyclate 100mg capsules orally 2-24 hours before sex, and one 100mg capsule each 24 and 48 hours after loading dose. If they have sex within 48 hours after the loading dose, they would be asked to continue a daily 100mg until two days after the last sex. Participants in the DoxyPEP arm would be instructed to take two doxycycline hyclate 100mg capsules orally within 24 hours and up to 72 hours after each sex. At each clinic visit, urine, and pharyngeal and rectal swabs would be self-collected on-site by the participants following instructions. Pill count would be performed for each follow-up visit.

02

Conditions studied

  • Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Bacterial
  • Syphilis
  • Gonorrhea
  • Chlamydia

Keywords

  • doxycycline
  • men who have sex with men
  • sexually transmitted infections
03

In context

Syphilis

126 studies on the registry are indexed under Syphilis; 34 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 300 is below the median of 354 across 85 interventional studies indexed under Syphilis.

Browse Syphilis studies →

Lead sponsor

Chinese University of Hong Kong is the lead sponsor of 1,454 studies on the registry; 474 are open to participants now.

Of its 6 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 0 (0%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
Male
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • has had sex with another male in the past six months
  • normally reside in Hong Kong
  • can communicate in written and spoken Chinese or English
  • willing and able to give written
  • being willing and able to attend scheduled study clinic visits
  • at risk of STI (had condomless sex with more than one man in the past 12 months, history of STI diagnosis in the past 12 months, inclination to have condomless sex, and other -PrEP-eligible criteria)

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Being allergic to tetracycline class medicines
  • Currently taking medications that are with doxycycline
  • Using antibiotics for more than 14 days in the month preceding enrolment
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(3)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Informed consent

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You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

HIV

The human immunodeficiency virus, which weakens the immune system.

Many studies now accept people whose HIV is controlled on treatment, judged by the viral load and the CD4 count. Check the limits this study sets.

Contraindication

A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.

05

Study design

Phase
Phase 4
Primary purpose
Prevention
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
300 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Active comparator
    DoxyODPrEP

    Participants in the DoxyODPrEP arm would be instructed to take two doxycycline hyclate 100mg capsules orally 2-24 hours before sex, and one 100mg capsule each 24 and 48 hours after loading dose. If they have sex within 48 hours after the loading dose, they would be asked to continue a daily 100mg until two days after the last sex.

    Drug: DoxyODPrEP

  • Active comparator
    DoxyPEP

    Participants in the DoxyPEP arm would be instructed to take two doxycycline hyclate 100mg capsules orally within 24 hours and up to 72 hours after each sex.

    Drug: DoxyPEP

Interventions

  • DrugDoxyODPrEP

    Participants in the DoxyODPrEP arm would be instructed to take two doxycycline hyclate 100mg capsules orally 2-24 hours before sex, and one 100mg capsule each 24 and 48 hours after loading dose. If they have sex within 48 hours after the loading dose, they would be asked to continue a daily 100mg until two days after the last sex

    Also known as: doxycycline on demand PrEP

  • DrugDoxyPEP

    Participants in the DoxyPEP arm would be instructed to take two doxycycline hyclate 100mg capsules orally within 24 hours and up to 72 hours after each sex.

    Also known as: doxycycline PEP

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Time to the first episode of gonorrhoea after the enrolment visit

    Time to the first episode of gonorrhoea after the enrolment visit

    Time frame: Months 1 to 24

  2. Time to the first episode of chlamydia after the enrolment visit

    Time to the first episode of chlamydia after the enrolment visit

    Time frame: Months 1 to 24

  3. Time to the first episode of syphilis after the enrolment visit

    Time to the first episode of syphilis after the enrolment visit

    Time frame: Months 1 to 24

Secondary outcomes

  1. Safety profile

    Percentage of participants experiencing adverse events and the associated grades

    Time frame: Months 1 to 24

  2. Acceptability of regimens

    Percentage of participants accepted the regimen

    Time frame: Months 1 to 24

  3. Retention

    Percentage of participants remained during the follow-up period

    Time frame: Months 1 to 24

  4. Time to the first episode of HIV after the enrolment visit

    Time to the first episode of HIV after the enrolment visit

    Time frame: Months 1 to 24

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Stanley Ho Centre for Emerging Infectious Diseases
    Shatin, Hong Kong
08

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Jun 5, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
09

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT06188442
Responsible party
Tsz Ho Kwan (Research Assistant Professor, Chinese University of Hong Kong) — Principal investigator
First posted
Jan 3, 2024
Start date
Mar 29, 2025
Primary completion
Dec 31, 2027 (estimated)
Completion
Dec 2028 (estimated)
Last update
Jun 5, 2026

Study contacts

Tsz Ho Kwan, PhD
principal investigator · Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is active, not recruiting, as verified in Jun 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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