{Prelims – Disease} New Medicines Approved for Gonorrhoea

Context (CNN): The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved two new oral medicines for gonorrhoea treatment.
The two approved oral antibiotics are Blujepa (gepotidacin) and Nuzolvence (zoliflodacin).

Gonorrhoea is a common sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae, a gram-negative bacterium. It is also known as “the clap” or “the drip.”
Transmission: It spreads mainly through sexual contact; it can also be transmitted from an infected mother during childbirth, causing neonatal gonococcal conjunctivitis (severe eye infection).
- Untreated gonococcal conjunctivitis in newborns can lead to permanent blindness.
Symptoms: Most infected individuals, particularly women (up to 50%), are asymptomatic; symptoms include sore throat, conjunctivitis, abnormal genital discharge, and pelvic or genital pain.
Health Complications: It can cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), chronic pelvic pain, ectopic pregnancy (pregnancy outside the womb), and infertility in women; in men, it can lead to epididymitis.
- Gonorrhoea increases the risk of acquiring and transmitting Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).

Antimicrobial Resistance: Neisseria gonorrhoeae has developed resistance to penicillin, tetracyclines, and fluoroquinolones. Ceftriaxone-resistant strains are emerging as a serious public health threat.
- Neisseria gonorrhoeae is classified as a “high-priority pathogen” by the WHO.
Diagnosis & Treatment: It is diagnosed using Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests (NAATs). Treatment involves dual therapy of antibiotics and ceftriaxone injection due to AMR.
Health Burden: WHO estimated 82.4 million new gonorrhoea infections globally in 2020. India has an estimated STI prevalence of around 6%, with about 94.4 million cases in 2021.

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