New Antibiotic Tackles Drug-Resistant Gonorrhea in Trial

FRIDAY, Nov. 3, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- The first new antibiotic for gonorrhea -- the second most common sexually transmitted disease -- has shown promise in a clinical trial.

This new antibiotic, called zoliflodacin, was seen in the trial to cure uncomplicated gonorrhea infection as effectively as the current go-to treatment -- ceftriaxone along with one dose of azithromycin pills.

The drug was developed by U.S.-based Innoviva Specialty Therapeutics and Swiss nonprofit Global Antibiotic Research & Development Partnership.

"The outcome of this study is a potential game changer for sexual health," Edward Hook III, M.D., protocol chair for the study and emeritus professor of medicine at the University of Alabama in Birmingham, said in a news release from the drug's developers. "In addition to the potential benefits for patients with infections with resistant strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the potential lack of cross-resistance with other antibiotics and the oral route of administration will simplify gonorrhea therapy for clinicians worldwide."

Zoliflodacin treats gonorrhea in a new way. However, it is less effective at treating gonorrhea infection of the throat than it is in the genital or rectal areas, NBC News reported.

Innoviva said it expects to seek U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval "as quickly as practicably possible."

NBC News Article