A promising treatment may slow the spread of resistant gonorrhea

BarcelonaDeveloping new strategies against gonorrhea is a public health priority, as the bacteria that cause this sexually transmitted infection are becoming increasingly resistant to the antibiotics used to treat them. Without effective treatment, there is a risk of the spread of multidrug-resistant disease. That's why the results of an international study are so promising, demonstrating the effectiveness of a treatment that has the potential to help curb the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and make gonorrhea treatment more accessible worldwide. It's called zoliflodacin, requires only one dose—in pill form—and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is already considering its approval.

The magazine The Lancet The results of this clinical trial, which involved more than 900 people in the United States, South Africa, Thailand, Belgium, and the Netherlands, were published this Wednesday. Participants received either the new pill or the standard treatment consisting of two simultaneous antibiotics, one as an injection and the other as a pill. The results showed that zoliflodacin can cure more than 90% of genital infections. Furthermore, the drug was well-tolerated, with side effects similar to those of current treatments and no serious safety issues reported, sparking optimism among the scientists who evaluated it. Specifically, they believe that, if approved in the United States, the new drug could "significantly improve" global efforts to control drug-resistant gonorrhea infections, support community-led care, and protect the reproductive health of millions of people. It should be noted that gonorrhea is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections, but it is becoming increasingly difficult to treat because it is developing resistance to treatments. This is because, as infections increase, so does the number of people exposed to treatment, which leads to the bacteria becoming resistant to antibiotics.

Very high rates

In Catalonia, it has been observed a sustained increase in gonorrhea cases since 2010 Last year, 13,252 people were diagnosed with the infection. This represents 165.4 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, a much higher infection rate than the European average of 25 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, according to data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). However, when analyzing this data, it is important to consider that Barcelona's impact on the figures for sexually transmitted infections in Catalonia is significant due to its large population and the concentration of the target population—that is, certain groups with a greater predisposition to become and transmit these types of infections. Furthermore, the demographic profile of those infected in Catalonia is similar to that of other European countries. Experts also point out that far more tests are performed here than in other European regions.