Zoliflodacin cured over 90 per cent of infections at genital sites and proved as effective as current standard treatment
A new single-dose oral medication for gonorrhoea is as affective as current standard treatment in combatting infections, trial results have found.
The drug, zoliflodacin, shows promise as a new treatment for antibiotic-resistant gonorrhoea, according to a phase 3 clinical trial published in The Lancet.
The study found that one dose of zoliflodacin was as effective as the current standard treatment, which combines two antibiotics: an injection of ceftriaxone followed by an oral dose of azithromycin.
Gonorrhoea is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections, affecting over 82 million people globally each year. However, it is increasingly difficult to treat as the bacteria that cause infection develop resistance to current antibiotics.
This new medication has the potential to help slow the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and make gonorrhoea treatment more accessible worldwide.
The international trial involved more than 900 people from five countries (USA, South Africa, Thailand, Belgium, and the Netherlands). Participants received either the new pill or the standard treatment.
Results showed that zoliflodacin cured over 90 per cent of infections at genital sites. The medication was well tolerated, with side effects similar to those seen with current treatments, and no serious safety issues were reported.
Zoliflodacin is currently awaiting approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). If approved, the authors say it could greatly improve global efforts to control drug-resistant gonorrhea infections, support community-led care, and protect reproductive health for millions of people.
The clinical trial was led by Dr Alison Luckey of the Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership, based in Geneva, Switzerland.
“Luckey and colleagues’ findings should be celebrated,” said Dr Kimberly A Workowski of Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, USA, in a Lancet comment piece accompanying the study.
“However, despite the enthusiasm generated by this novel oral gonococcal regimen, N gonorrhoeae has a remarkable capacity to adapt, developing resistance to antimicrobials over time.
“Therefore, it is essential to maintain enhanced global surveillance to monitor gonococcal resistance trends, recognise emerging resistance (e.g., the effect of doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis), and rapidly identify potential treatment failures.”
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