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New Delhi: A new oral antibiotic, gepotidacin, has shown significant promise in treating uncomplicated gonorrhoea, including strains resistant to existing drugs, according to findings from a phase 3 clinical trial published in the journal The Lancet. This development offers a potential breakthrough in combating the sexually transmitted infection (STI), for which no new antibiotics have been introduced since the 1990s.
The rise of drug-resistant gonorrhoea has become a major public health concern globally in recent years. If left untreated, gonorrhoea can lead to serious health complications, particularly for women, including pelvic inflammatory disease, an increased risk of ectopic pregnancy, and infertility.
The study, conducted by an international team of researchers from the US, UK, and Australia, evaluated gepotidacin, a drug developed by British pharmaceutical company GSK and currently approved for treating urinary tract infections. The phase 3 trial involved 622 patients with uncomplicated urogenital gonorrhoea.
Researchers compared the efficacy and safety of orally administered gepotidacin against the current standard treatment regimen, which typically involves an injection of ceftriaxone combined with an oral dose of azithromycin. The results indicated that gepotidacin was as effective as the standard combination therapy in clearing the infection.
Crucially, the study highlighted gepotidacin’s effectiveness against strains of the gonorrhoea bacteria known to be resistant to other antibiotics. This finding is particularly significant given the increasing threat of treatment failure with existing drugs. No severe treatment-related side effects were reported in either the gepotidacin or the standard treatment group.
“The new treatment could be an important tool in combating the rise of gonorrhoea strains that are becoming resistant to the standard treatment,” the research team stated. They added that offering treatment as a single oral pill, without the need for an injection, “would likely improve patient experiences and reduce health care resources.”
Despite the promising results, the researchers acknowledged limitations. The study primarily focused on urogenital gonorrhoea, and the participant pool consisted mainly of white men. Further research is needed to confirm the efficacy of gepotidacin for gonorrhoea infections in the rectum and throat, and across more diverse populations, including women, adolescents, and individuals of various ethnicities.
The findings were also presented at the annual conference of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) in Austria. The development of gepotidacin represents a potentially vital new weapon in the fight against antibiotic-resistant gonorrhoea.
Disclaimer: This news article is based on information provided from a study published in The Lancet and presented at the ESCMID conference. It is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Individuals concerned about gonorrhoea or other STIs should consult with a qualified healthcare professional for diagnosis and treatment options.(https://www.freepressjournal.in/lifestyle/new-oral-pill-offers-hope-against-antibiotic-resistant-gonorrhoea-study)
