GSK boosted by gonorrhoea drug trial success: Gepotidacin found to be as effective as current treatments

GSK received a boost after clinical trial data showed its gonorrhea treatment was as good as an existing treatment.

The FTSE 100 pharmaceutical firm said a late-stage study for its oral drug Gepotidacin found the antibiotic treated the infection as effectively as a current combination of drugs, which includes an injection.

Discovered by scientists at GSK’s global research center in Hertfordshire, geopotidacin would offer an alternative to current antibiotic treatment, which can be difficult for some people to take due to allergies and other intolerances.

The drug is also believed to have blockbuster potential, meaning it could generate more than £1bn in annual sales, a big boost for GSK and its boss Emma Walmsley.