The first new treatments for gonorrhoea in decades have been approved in the US, raising hopes of tackling the growing threat of drug-resistant strains of the infection.
Gonorrhoea causes more than 82 million infections worldwide each year, with cases rising sharply in Europe and at record levels in England. Resistance to existing frontline antibiotics has increased significantly, prompting the World Health Organization to classify the disease as a priority pathogen.
Two new drugs have now been cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration. Zoliflodacin, marketed as Nuzolvence, was approved on 12 December, while gepotidacin received approval a day earlier after proving effective against resistant strains.
WHO officials said the approvals were timely given rising infection rates and dwindling treatment options. Zoliflodacin, developed through a not-for-profit partnership led by the Global Antibiotic Research & Development Partnership, cured more than 90% of genital infections in clinical trials, with no serious safety concerns reported.
Researchers say the availability of new, single-dose oral treatments could slow the spread of resistance and transform global gonorrhoea control, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where the burden of disease is highest.
