STI gonorrhea treatable with antibiotic Ertapenem

For the treatment of gonorrhea, the antibiotic ertapenem appears to work just as well as the current drug of choice, ceftriaxone. This is apparent from a drug study conducted by the Center for Sexual Health of the GGD Amsterdam. Ertapenem has already been registered in the Netherlands and is therefore a possible alternative in the treatment of gonorrhea. The treatment of gonorrhea is threatened by advancing resistance to existing antibiotics. This is reported by GGD Amsterdam.

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In 2019, 8,186 gonorrhea infections were treated at the national Centers for Sexual Health and an estimated 14,400 infections at the general practitioner. The treatment of gonorrhea is currently under threat from advancing worldwide resistance to existing antibiotics. As a result, the currently used first-choice drug ceftriaxone may also be ineffective in the future in the treatment of gonorrhea. In recent decades, the gonorrhea bacterium has become resistant to a range of antibiotics. The pharmaceutical industry is investing little in the development of new antibiotics. That is why this ZonMW-funded study into the effectiveness of existing antibiotics as a treatment for gonorrhea started in 2017.

99 percent effective

A total of 346 people with gonorrhea participated in the study. They received treatment with ceftriaxone, ertapenem or gentamicin (injections), or a fosfomycin drink. Halfway through the study, the drug fosfomycin was found to be ineffective. The final analysis showed that the existing drug ceftriaxone cleared the infection in all cases. With ertapenem, treatment was effective in 99 percent of the cases. Gentamicin was less effective by 93 percent. Ertapenem is therefore a possible alternative for gonorrhea when ceftriaxone becomes ineffective in the future due to resistance.

By: National Care Guide

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