New Gonorrhoea treatment in development

As Gonorrhoea becomes increasingly resistant to antibiotic treatment, physicians have created more antibiotic combinations to fight this sexually transmitted infection.

Funded and conducted by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the USA, the clinical trial showed that one combination of antibiotics had a 100% rate of effectiveness. The second combination had a 99.5% rate of effectiveness, and both combinations boast curing 100% of throat and rectal infections.

“This is a very encouraging development in a discouraging field with very few new options in the pipeline,” Robert Kirkcaldy, the study’s leading specialist said. “We are moving in the right direction with encouraging results.”

The mutation of Gonorrhoea in recent years to become more resistant to antibiotics means that the prospect of Gonorrhoea becoming untreatable is becoming closer: “It’s very scary when you have only one effective regimen,” said Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Whilst the slight increase in toxicity of these treatments means that mild side effects, mainly gastrointestinal, have been displayed in the majority of patients, the treatments “provide valuable fallback options”, Kirkcaldy believes.

“For the future, it means we’ve accomplished something,” Fauci said. “It isn’t the end of the road, but it’s very gratifying to know we developed new treatment options … we need to stay ahead of resistant gonorrhea infections.”

If you think you may have Gonorrhoea, then the most important thing to do is to get tested as soon as possible to maximise the effectiveness of treatment. Better2Know offers Gonorrhoea testing at clinics across the UK at a time convenient to you. With Better2Know’s fast results you can begin treatment as early as possible and get back to living without the stress of an STI.