World Sexual Health Day – September 4
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Observed on September 4, World Sexual Health Day highlights sexual health as an essential component of overall well-being. The World Health Organization (WHO) and its Human Reproduction Programme (HRP) reaffirmed their commitment to advancing sexual health, rights, and prevention across the life course.1
Recent updates include:1
- HIV prevention: A systematic review of 29 HIV campaigns found that pleasure-based approaches reduced stigma, improved knowledge, and increased safer behaviors such as condom use and HIV testing.
- Global STI priorities: WHO identified 40 research areas spanning diagnosis, prevention, management, and epidemiology to guide evidence-based interventions.
- Broad public health focus: WHO’s 2024 Bulletin issue covered HIV prevention, harmful gender norms, menstrual hygiene, and endometriosis, emphasizing human rights–based and inclusive approaches.
WHO also advanced the SHAPE questionnaire to strengthen countries’ ability to measure and monitor sexual health outcomes. Together, these initiatives highlight sexual health as a critical component of infectious disease prevention and care.1
Latest News in Sexual Health Awareness
Aging in HIV: A Review of Common Comorbidities in People Living With HIV
Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has extended the life expectancy of people living with HIV (PLWHIV), but aging with HIV presents unique clinical challenges that require specialized management. A recent review outlines key comorbidities affecting this population, including cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, renal dysfunction, neurocognitive decline, immunosenescence, low bone mineral density, and frailty. These conditions are influenced by the interplay of chronic HIV infection, long-term ART exposure, and natural aging, often necessitating earlier and more frequent screening compared with the general population. Current guidelines emphasize proactive risk reduction strategies, tailored pharmacologic choices, and multidisciplinary care that incorporates geriatric principles. As the proportion of PLWHIV aged 50 years and older continues to rise, clinicians must integrate HIV-specific considerations into preventive care, treatment, and long-term monitoring to optimize health outcomes and quality of life.
FDA Grants Priority Review for Gepotidacin for Gonorrhea
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for priority review GSK’s supplemental new drug application for gepotidacin, a novel oral antibiotic for the treatment of uncomplicated urogenital gonorrhea in patients aged ≥12 years and weighing ≥45 kg, with a decision expected by December 11, 2025. The application is supported by the phase 3 EAGLE-1 trial, which found gepotidacin (2 oral doses of 3000 mg) noninferior to standard intramuscular ceftriaxone plus oral azithromycin, achieving cure rates of 92.6% versus 91.2%, respectively. No bacterial persistence of Neisseria gonorrhoeae was reported, and no serious drug-related adverse events occurred, with most side effects limited to mild-to-moderate gastrointestinal events. If approved, gepotidacin would provide the first new oral option for gonorrhea treatment in decades, complementing its March 2025 FDA approval for uncomplicated urinary tract infections.
FDA Accepts New Drug Application for Merck’s HIV Treatment, Doravirine/Islatravir
Merck’s investigational once-daily, two-drug HIV regimen doravirine/islatravir (DOR/ISL) has been accepted by the FDA with a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) target date of April 28, 2026. The application is supported by two phase 3 trials—MK-8591A-051 (open-label) and MK-8591A-052 (double-blind)—which demonstrated that switching virologically suppressed adults from standard baseline antiretroviral therapy (bART) or bictegravir/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide (BIC/FTC/TAF) to DOR/ISL maintained viral suppression at Week 48, meeting noninferiority endpoints in both studies with >90% of participants remaining suppressed. Safety outcomes were comparable across regimens, with no new concerns identified. Doravirine, already FDA approved as Pifeltro, is paired here with islatravir, an investigational nucleoside reverse transcriptase translocation inhibitor (NRTTI) that is also being studied in weekly regimens with lenacapavir (Gilead) and ulonivirine (Merck). If approved, DOR/ISL could provide people living with HIV a simplified oral regimen designed to support long-term management and treatment flexibility.
Ocular Syphilis and Neurosyphilis in a Patient Living With HIV
A recent case report describes ocular syphilis with concurrent neurosyphilis in a 50-year-old man living with HIV/AIDS who presented with progressive bilateral vision loss. Despite an initially nonreactive rapid plasma reagin (RPR), dilution testing revealed a titer of 1:4096, consistent with the prozone effect, and cerebrospinal fluid studies confirmed neurosyphilis. The patient received intravenous aqueous penicillin every 4 hours for 14 days, resulting in marked visual improvement prior to discharge. Ocular syphilis, though rare, is a sight-threatening manifestation that is increasingly recognized, particularly among people living with HIV, men who have sex with men, and individuals over 40 years. Rising syphilis rates in the United States highlight the importance of clinician vigilance, timely diagnosis, and multidisciplinary management, as delayed recognition can result in significant morbidity and potential vision loss.
Gilead Expands Global Access to Lenacapavir With New HIV Prevention Partnership
Gilead Sciences has announced a partnership with the Global Fund to supply up to 2 million doses of its long-acting injectable HIV prevention drug, lenacapavir, to low- and lower-middle-income countries at no profit over the next three years. Lenacapavir, a capsid inhibitor administered twice yearly, recently received FDA approval based on phase 3 PURPOSE trials showing near-perfect efficacy—100% protection in cisgender women in South Africa and Uganda (PURPOSE 1) and 96% risk reduction among cisgender men and gender-diverse individuals (PURPOSE 2). The initiative is intended to bridge access gaps until licensed generics are available, with the Global Fund prioritizing countries based on epidemiology and readiness. By overcoming barriers such as adherence to daily oral PrEP and limited health infrastructure, this collaboration has the potential to significantly expand prevention coverage and reshape global HIV prevention strategies.