The first antibiotic of the century against gonorrhea that could prevent the global epidemic

BarcelonaIt is the first antibiotic created in three decades and could help combat the global rise of one of the world's most common sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Gepotidacin, an antimicrobial approved for use in urinary tract infections, has been shown to control the Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the bacteria that causes gonorrhea. Last year, the World Health Organization (WHO) highlighted that the origin of gonorrhea is a priority pathogen for the scientific community, both due to its rapid spread and because it is capable of evading the antibiotic effects of first-line treatment with cephalosporins, macrolides (such as the famous azithromycin), and influenza. Last year alone, gonorrhea caused 82 million new cases in people between 15 and 49 years of age worldwide.

A team of international researchers published this Monday in the medical journal The Lancet A clinical trial with more than 620 participants, a third of them from Spain, who were diagnosed with gonorrhea in the urogenital area in six countries: Australia, Germany, Mexico, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The results show that, compared to current treatments, this drug has the potential to respond to the "urgent need" for therapeutic alternatives, as well as to prevent drug-resistant cases and improve patient experiences.

The research, which was also presented at the annual conference of the European Society for Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) in Vienna, Austria, has found that the use of gepotidacin is slightly more effective against gonorrhea than the standard treatment, which is an injection of an injection of an injection of an injection of an injection of an injection of an injection of a treatment. Specifically, the group led by experts from the University Hospital of Birmingham, Jonathan Ross, and from Leeds, Janet Wilson, found that two doses of three grams a day of this drug have the capacity to eliminate the bacteria in 93% of cases, also in cases that had been refractory to treatment.

"Gepotidacin was shown to be non-inferior to ceftriaxone plus azithromycin for urogenital gonorrhea by N. gonorrhoeae, with no new safety concerns, offering a new oral treatment option," the authors write in their article. They also highlight that no serious or severe treatment-related side effects were observed.

Global Challenge

Behind this research are, among others, scientists from the University Hospitals of Birmingham (United Kingdom), the American universities of Atlanta and Louisiana State University, and the British pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). However, the researchers caution that this study focused primarily on urogenital gonorrhea and that the majority of the trial group were white men.

In fact, gonorrhea is a common sexually transmitted infection that, if not treated promptly, can lead to serious complications, especially in women, as it can increase the risk of ectopic pregnancy and infertility. Jorge Garcia, a doctor at the Vall d'Hebron-Drassanes STI Unit, explains to ARA that this bacteria has shown that it can develop resistance to available treatments and its incidence is on the rise in Europe, so it is good that therapeutic alternatives to current ones are emerging in case they stop working.

However, he insists that the current treatment continues to demonstrate "good efficacy," also in cases of gonorrhea in the rectum and pharynx. In this regard, the expert believes that further studies are needed to demonstrate whether gepotidacin is also effective in these scenarios. The signatory group also admits that further research is needed to determine the impact of the new treatment on gonorrhea of the rectum and throat, and in women, adolescents, and diverse ethnicities.

More than 13,000 cases in Catalonia

In Catalonia, the most prevalent STI is chlamydia, with 15,512 cases, but gonorrhea is now the second, with more than 13,150 infections, according to the most up-to-date data from the Department of Health corresponding to 2023. Furthermore, according to the incidence report of the 34,000 infections.

In a forceful editorial, The Lancet Remember that antimicrobial resistance is considered one of the main challenges for global health. "The emergence of different forms of resistance to N. gonorrhoeae "It is often followed by a rapid spread of the disease, and in fact, the prevalence of gonorrhea has increased over the past five years," the journal warns, adding: "What we are seeing [with gonorrhea] could easily spread to other bacteria."