Innovative at-home testing kits and groundbreaking new treatments are emerging as potential solutions to America's persistently high rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). This development follows a period of alarming infection highs both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, which severely disrupted essential sexual health services nationwide.
Home Testing Revolution Offers Privacy and Speed
In a significant shift, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has greenlit the first at-home test for women targeting three common infections: gonorrhoea, chlamydia, and trichomoniasis. The agency also approved the first home-based kit for detecting HPV, the virus responsible for cervical cancer. These approvals leverage technology pioneered by over-the-counter coronavirus tests.
Dr. Ina Park, a sexual health specialist at the University of California, San Francisco, highlighted the importance of these new options. "Sexual health can be stigmatised and people can be hesitant about testing," she said. "Now we have a lot of options for patients who may be wary of going into a provider’s office."
One prominent example is the three-in-one test from Visby Medical, approved in March 2025. The $150 kit includes a urine test, a vaginal swab, and a small electronic device that processes results and sends them to an app. It also bundles a telehealth consultation for discussing results and obtaining prescriptions if needed.
Dr. Gary Schoolnik, Visby's chief medical officer, emphasised the dramatic time saving. The entire process from purchase to prescription can take as little as six hours, compared to several days in the traditional model where samples are sent to labs and follow-ups are scheduled later.
Breakthrough Treatments After Decades of Stagnation
Alongside diagnostic advances, the FDA concluded 2025 by approving two new oral drugs for gonorrhoea, marking the first new treatment options for the disease in decades. This is critical as the bacteria has evolved resistance to nearly every antibiotic previously used.
The new drugs, Nuzolvenc and GlaxoSmithKline's Bluejepa, offer a major advantage over the current standard of care, which involves an injection of ceftriaxone. Dr. Park expressed relief at the development: "We were down to one class of antibiotics recommended to treat gonorrhoea and we had no other good options. So to have two new options in the same year is very exciting."
Cautious Optimism Amidst Access Concerns
These innovations arrive as provisional CDC data for 2024 shows a third consecutive annual drop in gonorrhoea cases, and a second yearly decline for chlamydia and infectious syphilis among adults. Experts attribute the trend to factors like reduced sexual activity among youth, increased use of preventive antibiotics, and more at-home screening.
However, challenges remain. The high cost of new tests—Visby's kit is not covered by insurance—could limit access. Furthermore, as testing moves into homes, tracking national infection rates accurately may become harder. Dr. Park voiced a common concern, linking progress to funding: "What I fear is these cuts to public health are going to decrease access to sexual health care for populations who can least afford to take advantage of these new options."
Despite these hurdles, the expansion of testing and treatment avenues represents a pivotal moment in the US public health response to STIs, offering new tools to combat an enduring crisis.
