GSK announces positive results from trials of new UTI antibiotic

The FTSE 100 pharmaceuticals giant said the EAGLE-2 and EAGLE-3 phase three trials were investigating ‘gepotidacin’, a new oral antibiotic with a novel mechanism of action for uncomplicated urinary tract infections (uUTI) in female adults and adolescents.

It presented the data at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases in Copenhagen.

The trials were stopped early for efficacy after the independent data monitoring committee made a recommendation in November, with the full results set to be published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal later in the year.

GSK said more than half of all women were affected by uUTIs in their lifetime, with more than a quarter suffering from recurrent disease, causing discomfort and restricting daily activities.

The number of uUTIs caused by resistant bacteria was increasing, it added, leading to higher treatment failure rates.

“Despite uncomplicated urinary tract infections being one of the most common infections in women and mounting concern over rising resistance rates to existing treatments, there has been no new class of antibiotics for over 20 years,” said GSK’s senior vice-president of development, Chris Corsico.

“We believe that gepotidacin, if approved, will offer a much-needed additional oral treatment option for patients at risk of treatment failure associated with resistance or recurrence of uUTI.

“We are committed to working with global regulators to bring this new antibiotic to patients as quickly as possible.”

At 0851 BST, shares in GSK were down 0.32% at 1,510.2p.

Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.