Scientists believe they have found a new effective antibiotic for gonorrhoea, the first in three decades, which they said could help combat the sexually transmitted infection.
A study in Lancet has suggested that gepotidacin, an antibiotic used to treat urinary tract infections, can treat and clear gonorrhoea just as well as the existing antibiotics. It also appears to be able to tackle some emerging drug-resistant ‘superbug’ strains and improve patient experiences.
Also Read | HPV Vaccine Crucial for Boys Too, Can Help Prevent Penile and Anal Cancer
Gonorrhoea is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae. It spreads primarily through unprotected vaginal, oral, or anal sex with an infected person. In India, the STI has a reported prevalence rate of 14.1 per cent.
The phase-three results of the randomised control trial were published in the Lancet journal and presented at the annual European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) conference in Vienna, Austria. The trial was led by UK and US researchers and involved patients from the UK, US, Australia, Germany, Mexico and Spain.
A study of 622 patients compared oral gepotidacin to the standard combo of ceftriaxone injection and azithromycin pill. They found the new pill to be as effective as the standard treatment at tackling the infection. Importantly, gepotidacin proved effective against gonorrhoea strains resistant to current antibiotics. According to The Lancet, no severe or serious side effects were observed with either treatment.
The researchers, however, cautioned that since the study mainly involved white men and focused on urogenital gonorrhoea, more research is needed to understand its impact on other infection sites and diverse populations.
