The efficacy and safety of gentamicin plus azithromycin and gemifloxacin plus
azithromycin as treatment of uncomplicated gonorrhea.
Author(s): Kirkcaldy RD(1), Weinstock HS(1), Moore PC(2), Philip SS(3), Wiesenfeld HC(4),
Papp JR(1), Kerndt PR(5), Johnson S(6), Ghanem KG(7), Hook EW 3rd(8).
Affiliation(s): Author information:
(1)Division of STD Prevention, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis,
STD, and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta,
Georgia. (2)Department of Biostatistics, University of Arkansas Medical Sciences,
Little Rock. (3)San Francisco Department of Public Health, California.
(4)University of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County Health Department, Pennsylvania.
(5)County of Los Angeles, Department of Public Health, California. (6)FHI360,
Durham, North Carolina. (7)Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine,
Baltimore, Maryland. (8)University of Alabama at Birmingham Jefferson County
Department of Health, Birmingham, Alabama.
Publication date & source: 2014, Clin Infect Dis. , 59(8):1083-91
BACKGROUND: Ceftriaxone is the foundation of currently recommended gonorrhea
treatment. There is an urgent need for backup treatment options for patients with
cephalosporin allergy or infections due to suspected cephalosporin-resistant
Neisseria gonorrhoeae. We evaluated the efficacy and tolerability of 2
combinations of existing noncephalosporin antimicrobials for treatment of
patients with urogenital gonorrhea.
METHODS: We conducted a randomized, multisite, open-label, noncomparative trial
in 5 outpatient sexually transmitted disease clinic sites in Alabama, California,
Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Patients aged 15-60 years diagnosed with
uncomplicated urogenital gonorrhea were randomly assigned to either gentamicin
240 mg intramuscularly plus azithromycin 2 g orally, or gemifloxacin 320 mg
orally plus azithromycin 2 g orally. The primary outcome was microbiological cure
of urogenital infections (negative follow-up culture) at 10-17 days after
treatment among 401 participants in the per protocol population.
RESULTS: Microbiological cure was achieved by 100% (lower 1-sided exact 95%
confidence interval [CI] bound, 98.5%) of 202 evaluable participants receiving
gentamicin/azithromycin, and 99.5% (lower 1-sided exact 95% CI bound, 97.6%) of
199 evaluable participants receiving gemifloxacin/azithromycin.
Gentamicin/azithromycin cured 10 of 10 pharyngeal infections and 1 of 1 rectal
infection; gemifloxacin/azithromycin cured 15 of 15 pharyngeal and 5 of 5 rectal
infections. Gastrointestinal adverse events were common in both arms.
CONCLUSIONS: Gentamicin/azithromycin and gemifloxacin/azithromycin were highly
effective for treatment of urogenital gonorrhea. Gastrointestinal adverse events
may limit routine use. These non-cephalosporin-based regimens may be useful
alternative options for patients who cannot be treated with cephalosporin
antimicrobials. Additional treatment options for gonorrhea are needed. Clinical
Trials Registration. NCT00926796.
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