Trial Outcomes & Findings for Expedited Partner Therapy and the HIV Prevention Cascade (NCT NCT04553211)

NCT ID: NCT04553211

Last Updated: 2026-09-01

Results Overview

Number of participants who self-reported notification of one or more sexual partners at 21-days Follow-up.

Recruitment status

COMPLETED

Study phase

NA

Target enrollment

663 participants

Primary outcome timeframe

21 Days

Results posted on

2026-09-01

Participant Flow

We screened 2,428 individuals and enrolled 556 men who have sex with men diagnosed with gonorrhea and/or chlamydia infection. We also evaluated 112 recent sexual partners of study participants who were diagnosed with gonorrhea and/or chlamydia infection.

No significant events that occurred between the enrollment and assignment of participants to an arm or group.

Participant milestones

Participant milestones
Measure
Expedited Partner Therapy (EPT)
Participants in the EPT arm received up to five partner antibiotic treatment packets to deliver to their recent sexual partners following a diagnosis of gonorrhea (GC) and/or chlamydia (CT). The intervention was repeated with all subsequent episodes of GC and/or CT infection during the 12-month follow-up period.
Control
Participants in the control arm received standard-of-care counseling on partner notification following a diagnosis of gonorrhea (GC) and/or chlamydia (CT). The same counseling was repeated with all subsequent episodes of GC and/or CT infection during the 12-month follow-up period.
Expedited Partner Therapy (EPT)-Sexual Partners
Participants diagnosed with gonorrhea and/or chlamydia infection at any study visit were recruited for study participation. We enrolled 20 partners of men in the EPT arm of the trial.
Control-Sexual Partners
Participants diagnosed with gonorrhea and/or chlamydia infection at any study visit were recruited for study participation. We enrolled 10 partners of men in the Control arm of the trial.
Overall Study
STARTED
279
277
63
44
Overall Study
COMPLETED
222
219
63
44
Overall Study
NOT COMPLETED
57
58
0
0

Reasons for withdrawal

Withdrawal data not reported

Baseline Characteristics

Expedited Partner Therapy and the HIV Prevention Cascade

Baseline characteristics by cohort

Baseline characteristics by cohort
Measure
Expedited Partner Therapy (EPT)
n=272 Participants
Participants in the EPT arm will receive up to five partner antibiotic treatment packets to deliver to their recent sexual partners following a diagnosis of gonorrhea (GC) and/or chlamydia (CT). The intervention will be repeated with all subsequent episodes of GC and/or CT infection during the 12-month follow-up period.
Control
n=271 Participants
Participants in the control arm will receive standard-of-care counseling on partner notification following a diagnosis of gonorrhea (GC) and/or chlamydia (CT). The same counseling will be repeated with all subsequent episodes of GC and/or CT infection during the 12-month follow-up period.
Total
n=543 Participants
Total of all reporting groups
Age, Categorical
<=18 years
0 Participants
n=14 Participants
0 Participants
n=36 Participants
0 Participants
n=324 Participants
Age, Categorical
Between 18 and 65 years
272 Participants
n=14 Participants
271 Participants
n=36 Participants
543 Participants
n=324 Participants
Age, Categorical
>=65 years
0 Participants
n=14 Participants
0 Participants
n=36 Participants
0 Participants
n=324 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
0 Participants
n=14 Participants
0 Participants
n=36 Participants
0 Participants
n=324 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
272 Participants
n=14 Participants
271 Participants
n=36 Participants
543 Participants
n=324 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Hispanic or Latino
272 Participants
n=14 Participants
271 Participants
n=36 Participants
543 Participants
n=324 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Not Hispanic or Latino
0 Participants
n=14 Participants
0 Participants
n=36 Participants
0 Participants
n=324 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Unknown or Not Reported
0 Participants
n=14 Participants
0 Participants
n=36 Participants
0 Participants
n=324 Participants

PRIMARY outcome

Timeframe: 21 Days

Number of participants who self-reported notification of one or more sexual partners at 21-days Follow-up.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Expedited Partner Therapy
n=272 Participants
Participants in the EPT arm received up to five partner antibiotic treatment packets to deliver to their recent sexual partners following a diagnosis of gonorrhea (GC) and/or chlamydia (CT). The intervention was repeated with all subsequent episodes of GC and/or CT infection during the 12-month follow-up period.
Control
n=271 Participants
Participants in the control arm received standard-of-care counseling on partner notification following a diagnosis of gonorrhea (GC) and/or chlamydia (CT). The same counseling was repeated with all subsequent episodes of GC and/or CT infection during the 12-month follow-up period.
Number of Participants Who Reported Any Partner Notification
Self-reported notification of one or more recent sexual partner(s)
233 Participants
189 Participants

PRIMARY outcome

Timeframe: 60 Days

Population: Partner-confirmed notification

Number of sexual partners who verbally confirmed notification of STI exposure by the index participant

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Expedited Partner Therapy
n=63 Participants
Participants in the EPT arm received up to five partner antibiotic treatment packets to deliver to their recent sexual partners following a diagnosis of gonorrhea (GC) and/or chlamydia (CT). The intervention was repeated with all subsequent episodes of GC and/or CT infection during the 12-month follow-up period.
Control
n=44 Participants
Participants in the control arm received standard-of-care counseling on partner notification following a diagnosis of gonorrhea (GC) and/or chlamydia (CT). The same counseling was repeated with all subsequent episodes of GC and/or CT infection during the 12-month follow-up period.
Number of Partners Who Confirmed Notification
20 Participants
10 Participants

SECONDARY outcome

Timeframe: 21 Days

Population: Number of partners per participant who were reported to have received antibiotic treatment

Number of participants who self-reported that one or more of their sexual partners had received antibiotic treatment at 21-days

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Expedited Partner Therapy
n=272 Participants
Participants in the EPT arm received up to five partner antibiotic treatment packets to deliver to their recent sexual partners following a diagnosis of gonorrhea (GC) and/or chlamydia (CT). The intervention was repeated with all subsequent episodes of GC and/or CT infection during the 12-month follow-up period.
Control
n=271 Participants
Participants in the control arm received standard-of-care counseling on partner notification following a diagnosis of gonorrhea (GC) and/or chlamydia (CT). The same counseling was repeated with all subsequent episodes of GC and/or CT infection during the 12-month follow-up period.
Number of Participants Reporting Any Partner Treatment
134 Participants
80 Participants

SECONDARY outcome

Timeframe: 21 Days

Population: Number of participants who reported one or more sexual partners received HIV/STI testing

Number of participants who self-reported HIV/STI testing by one or more sexual partners at 21-days

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Expedited Partner Therapy
n=272 Participants
Participants in the EPT arm received up to five partner antibiotic treatment packets to deliver to their recent sexual partners following a diagnosis of gonorrhea (GC) and/or chlamydia (CT). The intervention was repeated with all subsequent episodes of GC and/or CT infection during the 12-month follow-up period.
Control
n=271 Participants
Participants in the control arm received standard-of-care counseling on partner notification following a diagnosis of gonorrhea (GC) and/or chlamydia (CT). The same counseling was repeated with all subsequent episodes of GC and/or CT infection during the 12-month follow-up period.
Number of Participants Reporting Any Partner HIV/STI Testing
139 Participants
119 Participants

SECONDARY outcome

Timeframe: 60 Days

Population: We were unable to collect sufficient data from recent sexual partners to estimate an effect on partner-confirmed notification. Participants provided name and contact information for only 301 sexual partners at all post-notification evaluations. Of these 301 individuals, counseling staff established contact and verified notification outcomes with 107 partners and scheduled clinical evaluation appointments with 24 individuals, of whom 20 attended the visit.

Number of partners who confirmed receipt of antibiotic treatment following notification of STI exposure by the index participant

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Expedited Partner Therapy
n=63 Participants
Participants in the EPT arm received up to five partner antibiotic treatment packets to deliver to their recent sexual partners following a diagnosis of gonorrhea (GC) and/or chlamydia (CT). The intervention was repeated with all subsequent episodes of GC and/or CT infection during the 12-month follow-up period.
Control
n=44 Participants
Participants in the control arm received standard-of-care counseling on partner notification following a diagnosis of gonorrhea (GC) and/or chlamydia (CT). The same counseling was repeated with all subsequent episodes of GC and/or CT infection during the 12-month follow-up period.
Number of Partners Who Confirmed Treatment
6 Participants
4 Participants

SECONDARY outcome

Timeframe: 60 Days

Population: We were unable to collect sufficient data from recent sexual partners to estimate an effect on partner-confirmed notification. Participants provided name and contact information for only 301 sexual partners at all post-notification evaluations. Of these 301 individuals, counseling staff established contact and verified notification outcomes with 42 partners and scheduled clinical evaluation appointments with 24 individuals, of whom 20 attended the visit.

Number of partners who confirmed receiving HIV/STI testing following notification of STI exposure by the index participant

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Expedited Partner Therapy
n=63 Participants
Participants in the EPT arm received up to five partner antibiotic treatment packets to deliver to their recent sexual partners following a diagnosis of gonorrhea (GC) and/or chlamydia (CT). The intervention was repeated with all subsequent episodes of GC and/or CT infection during the 12-month follow-up period.
Control
n=44 Participants
Participants in the control arm received standard-of-care counseling on partner notification following a diagnosis of gonorrhea (GC) and/or chlamydia (CT). The same counseling was repeated with all subsequent episodes of GC and/or CT infection during the 12-month follow-up period.
Number of Partners Who Confirmed HIV/STI Testing
2 Participants
4 Participants

Adverse Events

Expedited Partner Therapy (EPT)

Serious events: 0 serious events
Other events: 0 other events
Deaths: 0 deaths

Control

Serious events: 0 serious events
Other events: 0 other events
Deaths: 0 deaths

Serious adverse events

Adverse event data not reported

Other adverse events

Adverse event data not reported

Additional Information

Jesse Clark

University of California, Los Angeles

Phone: 323-461-3106

Results disclosure agreements

  • Principal investigator is a sponsor employee
  • Publication restrictions are in place