Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41400870›Full record

ArticleThe Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy2026

High in vitro activity of the novel antimicrobial gepotidacin against Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates in eight WHO Enhanced Gonococcal Antimicrobial Surveillance Programme countries in three WHO regions, 2021-24.

Josefine Ahlstrand, Ismael Maatouk, Le Huu Doanh, Natnaree Girdthep, Daniel Golparian, Lon Say Heng, Irving Hoffman, Manuel C Jamoralin, Francis Kakooza, Rossaphorn Kittiyaowamarn and 17 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

27 authors.

Josefine AhlstrandDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and Other Sexually Transmitted Infections, National Reference Laboratory for Sexually Transmitted Infections, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden.
Ismael MaatoukGlobal HIV, Hepatitis and STI Programmes, WHO, Geneva, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0003-1008-7413
Le Huu DoanhNational Hospital of Dermatology and Venereology and Hanoi Medical University, Hanoi, Vietnam.
Natnaree GirdthepBangrak STIs Center, Division of AIDS and STIs, Department of Disease Control, Thailand Ministry of Public Health, Bangkok, Thailand.ORCID 0000-0001-6888-2108
Daniel GolparianDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and Other Sexually Transmitted Infections, National Reference Laboratory for Sexually Transmitted Infections, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden.
Lon Say HengNational Center for HIV/AIDS, Dermatology and Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Irving HoffmanUNC Project Malawi, Lilongwe, Malawi.
Manuel C JamoralinDepartment of Health, Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, Manila, the Philippines.
Francis KakoozaInfectious Diseases Institute, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda.
Rossaphorn KittiyaowamarnBangrak STIs Center, Division of AIDS and STIs, Department of Disease Control, Thailand Ministry of Public Health, Bangkok, Thailand.ORCID 0000-0001-9382-7776
Peter KyambaddeSexually Transmitted Infections Program, Ministry of Health, Kampala, Uganda.
Pham Thi LanNational Hospital of Dermatology and Venereology and Hanoi Medical University, Hanoi, Vietnam.
Venessa MasekoCentre for HIV and STIs, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa.ORCID 0000-0002-9707-9485
Mitch MatogaUNC Project Malawi, Lilongwe, Malawi.
Etienne MüllerCentre for HIV and STIs, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa.ORCID 0000-0002-9800-491X
Hao Trong NguyenHo Chi Minh City Hospital of Dermatology and Venereology, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.ORCID 0000-0002-7732-0497
Thuy Thi Phan NguyenHo Chi Minh City Hospital of Dermatology and Venereology, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Vichea OukLaboratory of the National Institute of Public Health, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Vivi SetiawatySulianti Saroso Infectious Disease Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia.
Sonia B SiaDepartment of Health, Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, Manila, the Philippines.
Verawati SulaimanSulianti Saroso Infectious Disease Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia.
Mot VirakNational Center for HIV/AIDS, Dermatology and Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Van Thi Thuy NguyenWHO Country Office, Hanoi, Vietnam.
Teodora WiGlobal HIV, Hepatitis and STI Programmes, WHO, Geneva, Switzerland.
Susanne JacobssonDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and Other Sexually Transmitted Infections, National Reference Laboratory for Sexually Transmitted Infections, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden.
Magnus UnemoDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and Other Sexually Transmitted Infections, National Reference Laboratory for Sexually Transmitted Infections, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden.ORCID 0000-0003-1710-2081
WHO EGASP Gepotidacin Study Group

Funding

Foundation for Medical ResearchÖrebro County Council Research CommitteeÖrebro University HospitalWHO
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesThe spread of ceftriaxone-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae is threatening the last option for gonorrhoea treatment, ceftriaxone. Gepotidacin, the first-in-class triazaacenaphthylene bacterial topoisomerase type IIA inhibitor, recently showed non-inferiority compared to ceftriaxone-azithromycin for treatment of uncomplicated urogenital gonorrhoea in a Phase 3 randomized controlled trial. We evaluated the in vitro susceptibility to gepotidacin in clinical gonococcal isolates (n = 2912), including 125 (4.3%) ceftriaxone-resistant isolates, collected 2021-24 in eight WHO Enhanced Gonococcal Antimicrobial Surveillance Programme (EGASP) countries in three WHO regions.

methodsIsolates from Cambodia (n = 474), Indonesia (n = 107), Malawi (n = 111), the Philippines (n = 817), South Africa (n = 578), Thailand (n = 249), Uganda (n = 342) and Vietnam (n = 234) were examined. MICs of gepotidacin were determined using agar dilution. Gepotidacin target genes (gyrA and parC) were examined with Illumina sequencing.

resultsGepotidacin showed high in vitro activity, with MICs ranging from <0.016 to 4 mg/L. The modal MIC was 0.5 mg/L, MIC₅₀ 0.5 mg/L and MIC₉₀ 1 mg/L. Minor variations in the MIC distributions across countries were observed. ParC D86N, which in suboptimal gepotidacin concentrations predisposes for resistance development, was found in 35.5% of isolates.

conclusionsWe show that the in vitro susceptibility to gepotidacin in N. gonorrhoeae isolates, including 4.3% ceftriaxone-resistant isolates, collected 2021-24 in eight WHO EGASP countries, including five Asian countries, is high. Our findings support gepotidacin's continued clinical development, registration and introduction as a novel oral treatment for gonorrhoea. However, as with all new novel antimicrobials, cautious and optimal introduction, and surveillance of phenotypic and genomic susceptibility to gepotidacin internationally, pre- and post-licencing, should accompany any clinical implementation.

Indexed as

AcenaphthenesAnti-Bacterial AgentsGonorrheaHeterocyclic Compounds, 3-RingNeisseria gonorrhoeaeCeftriaxoneDrug Resistance, BacterialEpidemiological MonitoringFemaleHumansMalawiMicrobial Sensitivity TestsPhilippinesSouth AfricaThailandVietnamAcenaphthenesAnti-Bacterial AgentsCeftriaxonegepotidacinHeterocyclic Compounds, 3-Ring

Identifiers

PMID41400870
PMCPMC12802896

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.