LATEST NEWS: GSK’s gonorrhoea drug meets primary goal in late-stage trial

The drug, known as gepotidacin, is being developed to treat adults and adolescents with the sexually transmitted infection, which affects approximately 82 million new people worldwide each year and increases the risk of HIV infection.

London: GSK, a British drugmaker, said on Monday that its oral gonorrhoea treatment met the primary goal of non-inferiority when compared to an existing combination treatment in a late-stage trial.

The drug, known as gepotidacin, is being developed to treat adults and adolescents with the sexually transmitted infection, which affects approximately 82 million new people worldwide each year and increases the risk of HIV infection.

According to GSK, the trial demonstrated that gepotidacin’s efficacy and safety were comparable to a combination treatment of the muscle-injected antibiotic ceftriaxone and the bacteria-fighting pill azithromycin.

“These positive headline results demonstrate gepotidacin’s potential to provide a novel oral treatment option in the face of rising resistance and for patients who cannot take other treatments due to allergies or intolerance,” said Chris Corsico, GSK’s senior vice president of development.

The drug, part of GSK’s infectious diseases portfolio, is one of the product launches expected to boost future growth and restore investor confidence in the company’s medicines pipeline following the spin-off of Haleon, its consumer healthcare business.

GSK raised its long-term sales growth target last month, expecting to reach more than 38 billion pounds (over $48 billion) by 2031. ($1 equals 0.7892 pounds.