New Delhi, April 16
A new pill has shown promise against antibiotic-resistant gonorrhoea -- a common sexually transmitted infection (STI) --, according to a study published in the journal The Lancet.

Cases of drug-resistant gonorrhoea have been increasing rapidly in recent years. If not treated promptly, gonorrhoea can result in serious complications, especially for women, in whom it can lead to increased risks of ectopic pregnancy and infertility.

The new pill gepotidacin -- developed by British drugmaker GSK and currently approved to treat urinary tract infections -- could be the new treatment against gonorrhoea, as there have been no new antibiotics since the 1990s for the STI.

The phase 3 trial, including 622 patients, found that gepotidacin is as effective as the current standard treatment for treating the infection.

It protected against the threat of treatment-resistant gonorrhoea and also improved patient treatment experiences, said the international team of researchers from the US, UK, and Australia.

The phase 3 trial compared gepotidacin, taken orally for uncomplicated gonorrhoea with the current standard treatment -- ceftriaxone, an injection; and azithromycin, a pill.

Importantly, the “new pill was effective against strains of the gonorrhoea bacteria that are resistant to existing antibiotics,” said the researchers

including from the universities of Birmingham in the UK and Sydney in Australia. No treatment-related severe side effects were observed for those treated with either medication.

“The new treatment could be an important tool in combating the rise of gonorrhoea strains that are becoming resistant to the standard treatment. Additionally, treatment as a pill alone without the need for an injection would likely improve patient experiences and reduce health care resources,” the team added.

However, the team acknowledged limitations such as the study looking primarily at urogenital gonorrhoea and that most of the participants were white men.

The researchers called for more studies to understand the efficacy of the new pill on gonorrhoea of the rectum and throat, and in women, adolescents, and diverse ethnicities.

The finding was also presented at the annual conference of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) in Austria.

New oral pill offers hope against antibiotic-resistant gonorrhoea