Two newly approved antibiotics could transform the treatment of gonorrhoea as cases of the sexually transmitted infection rise worldwide and resistance to existing drugs grows. The US Food and Drug Administration has approved zoliflodacin and gepotidacin, the first new gonorrhoea treatments in decades.
Gonorrhoea affects more than 82 million people globally each year, with particularly high rates in Africa and the western Pacific region. In Europe and England, infections are at record levels. The World Health Organization has classified the disease as a priority pathogen because of rapidly increasing resistance to frontline antibiotics such as ceftriaxone and cefixime.
Zoliflodacin, also known as Nuzolvence, was shown in clinical trials to cure more than 90% of genital gonorrhoea infections and can be taken as a single oral dose. Gepotidacin, developed by GSK, has also proven effective against drug-resistant strains. Health experts say the approvals mark a significant step forward in tackling a disease that has been outpacing antibiotic development for years.
