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Nurx, a start-up specializing in health technologies, is known for selling contraceptives online which are then sent directly to you. It is now expanding to a new area: home testing for sexually transmitted infections such as gonorrhea and chlamydia.
Clients may also be treated by Nurx, depending on the infection. Tests and treatments should be available in June.
The expansion is in the context of a significant and steady increase in sexually transmitted diseases in recent years. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were nearly 2.3 million cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis in 2017.
"It is clear that the systems that identify, treat and ultimately prevent STDs are almost exhausted," said Dr. Jonathan Mermin, CDC.
The three diseases can be treated successfully with antibiotics, but many people are not even diagnosed, which could harm their health, the CDC said.
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Tests mark new start for Nurx
Founded in 2014, Nurx, based in San Francisco, sells medical products, such as the HIV preventive drug PrEP. Offered online, the service is so convenient that it has been dubbed the "Uber for Birth Control".
The startup has raised nearly $ 42 million from investors like Kleiner Perkins and is valued at about $ 111 million, according to PitchBook. It has more than 200,000 patients and is considered the leading online provider of birth control and PrEP services.
This expansion is Nurx's first new initiative since the publication of a scathing article on the New York Times last month, revealing that the company had taken steps toward rapid growth and that patient care could to be suffered. Nurx denies that patient safety has ever been jeopardized and asserts that the examples cited in the Times article did not make the context sufficiently clear.
Management is also "one of the first decisions on which I helped the team to focus," said Varsha Rao, CEO of Nurx, who took office a month ago. Entering this field was "really appropriate" and was part of Nurx's mission to help patients meet sensitive health needs, she said.
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Testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections will soon be available wherever Nurx operates. The list currently consists of 25 states and the District of Columbia.
Nurx will also accept health insurance, which, according to the company, makes it the only company to offer home-based sexually transmitted infections tests, which are covered by insurance. The tests will cost 50 USD with insurance and between 140 and 210 USD without insurance for the three proposed test kits.
Rival LetsGetChecked offers tests for sexually transmitted infections ranging in cost from $ 99 to $ 299, depending on the number of diseases you want to check.
The CDC recommends this type of test about once a year, and more frequently depending on various factors. The government agency notes that many clinics offer free or inexpensive tests, and that other companies also sell home tests.
How will the Nurx home test work?
To take a Nurx test, the client must first ask for one and fill out a questionnaire asking him to consult his medical history.
The website guides clients to the correct test based on their previous sexual relationship, as infections such as gonorrhea can be seen in various places, including the vagina and penis, but also in the throat and buttocks.
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The survey also looks at people likely to have recently been exposed to HIV, in which case Nurx would refer to in-person medical care, said Jessica Horwitz, vice president of clinical services at Nurx, at Business. insider.
Once the test is ordered, the patient will receive a kit with instructions by mail. The test will consist of a combination of the following: a urine sample, a throat swab, a rectal swab and / or a blood sample.
Once the samples have been sent, a Nurx laboratory partner performs the tests. Clients hear a doctor tell them their results and treatment options.
The three tests are:
- The "Total Control" kit, which has the most comprehensive test series and Nurx recommends taking it every year. It tests gonorrhea in three places, chlamydia in three places, syphilis, HIV and hepatitis C, and costs $ 50 with insurance and $ 210 without.
- The kit "Healthy Woman", covering tests for common sexually transmitted infections affecting women. He tests gonorrhea in two places, chlamydia in two places, trichomoniasis and HIV, and costs $ 50 with insurance or $ 180 without.
- The kit "Basics Covered", which, according to Nurx, is intended for people who usually undergo extensive tests each year but who also want to be tested more regularly. He tests gonorrhea in the same place, chlamydia in the same place, syphilis and HIV, and costs $ 50 with insurance and $ 140 without.
Nurx can treat infections such as chlamydia, trichomoniasis and, in rare cases, syphilis with oral antibiotics, while referring other positive tests to be treated by injection to in-person treatment.
An increase in the number of strains of these sexually transmitted infections that are resistant to antibiotics also raises concerns. Gonorrhea, for example, mutates in response to antibiotics, and many factors influence resistance, including misuse or overuse of common antibiotics.
Nurx is committed to using antibiotics appropriately, Horwitz said.
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