A promising new antibiotic, gepotidacin, emerged as a potential weapon against drug-resistant gonorrhea, according to a recent study published in The Lancet. The clinical trial, involving 628 patients across multiple countries, demonstrated that gepotidacin is as effective as the current standard treatment and offers a potential new oral therapy for the common sexually transmitted infection.
According to BBC News, the trial found that gepotidacin cured 92.6% of participants, compared to 91.2% for those treated with the conventional regimen of ceftriaxone plus azithromycin. The new antibiotic works by preventing bacteria from replicating in the body and could become the first new treatment for gonorrhea in over 30 years.
"As gonorrhoea becomes increasingly resistant to antibiotics, it could become untreatable in future and cause serious problems like pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility. Trials like this are so important to help us discover new treatment options," said Dr. Katy Sinka, consultant epidemiologist and head of the STI section at the UK Health Security Agency, according to BBC News.
Gonorrhea became increasingly difficult to treat as it developed resistance to existing antibiotics. Cases of drug-resistant gonorrhea rapidly increased in recent years, and experts fear that without new treatments, the infection may become untreatable.
The trial compared gepotidacin, administered as two oral doses about 10 to 12 hours apart, with the standard treatment of a single injection of ceftriaxone paired with an oral dose of azithromycin. Side effects in the gepotidacin group were generally mild, such as nausea or some stomach discomfort.
"If gepotidacin is approved and recommended for gonorrhea treatment, that is a true advance and will greatly help our efforts to slow down drug resistance in gonorrhea," said Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, a clinical professor of public health at the University of Southern California, according to CNN.
However, some experts caution that more research is needed to understand the efficacy of gepotidacin on gonorrhea of the rectum and throat, as well as in women, adolescents, and diverse ethnicities. In a comment published alongside the study, researchers Magnus Unemo from Örebro University in Sweden and Teodora Wi from the World Health Organization expressed concerns about potential bacterial resistance to gepotidacin. "In our opinion, N. gonorrhoeae will also develop resistance to gepotidacin when the selective pressure increases and adherence to the double-dose regimen is suboptimal," they stated, according to CNN.
The international clinical trial involved participants from 49 centers across several countries, including Australia, Germany, Mexico, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Most participants were white men, with 92% men and 74% white, indicating the need for more diverse studies in the future.
Gepotidacin's oral administration is likely to improve patient experience and reduce the need for injections and healthcare resources. Experts believe that offering an effective oral treatment could make therapy more accessible and convenient for patients, potentially improving adherence and reducing the spread of the infection.
Gonorrhea is a common sexually transmitted infection that, if not treated promptly, can lead to serious complications, including pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, and an increased risk of ectopic pregnancy. The emergence of drug-resistant strains poses a public health challenge.
The development of gepotidacin was funded by the pharmaceutical company GSK, which is responsible for manufacturing the new antibiotic. If approved, gepotidacin could become a tool in combating the rise of drug-resistant gonorrhea and help prevent the infection from becoming untreatable in the future.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.