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New data from the World Health Organization (WHO) warns of a rise in drug-resistant gonorrhea worldwide. According to a news release from the agency’s Enhanced Gonococcal Antimicrobial Surveillance Program, resistance to ceftriaxone and cefixime—2 first-line antibiotics for gonorrhea—has increased. From 2022 to 2024, ceftriaxone resistance rose from 0.8% to 5%, while cefixime resistance rose from 1.7% to 11%. Resistance to azithromycin, which is often used alongside ceftriaxone or cefixime, also increased from 0.5% to 4%, according to WHO. Growing resistance is concerning among global health officials, and WHO now classifies drug-resistant gonorrhea as a serious and urgent public health threat. The highest resistance rates were reported in Cambodia and Vietnam. Among all the cases analyzed, the median patient age was 27 years (12–94), 20% were among men who have sex with men, and 42% reported having multiple sexual partners in the prior 30 days.
New on the scene: Two new antibiotics—zoliflodacin and gepotidacin—have demonstrated encouraging results in clinical trials and may soon expand treatment options, although they are not yet approved by the Food and Drug Administration. With an estimated 82 million gonorrhea cases globally each year, addressing rising antimicrobial resistance is key to controlling the spread of infection, WHO says.