A global study of zoliflodacin, a drug candidate for gonorrhea, found "unprecedented" phase 3 results, its drugmaker said Nov. 1.
A specialty subsidiary of Innoviva and the Global Antibiotic Research & Development Partnership conducted the research into the pathogen deemed a priority by the World Health Organization.
GARDP called the clinical trial "pivotal" and "unprecedented" as antimicrobial resistance rises.
"Study investigators found that oral zoliflodacin demonstrated statistical non-inferiority of microbiological cure at the urogenital site when compared to treatment with intramuscular injection of ceftriaxone and oral azithromycin, a current global standard of care regimen," the organization said in a news release.
If zoliflodacin is approved, it will be the first new gonorrhea antibiotic in decades.
Gonorrhea is the third-most common sexually transmitted infection, and it affects 82 million people per year, according to GARDP.