CDC Updates Gonorrhea Treatment Guidelines

Bottom Line:

• The CDC no longer recommends cefixime (suprax) as a first-line treatment for gonorrhea 
• The only first line therapy now is ceftriaxone 250mg IM x1
• If ceftriaxone is unavailable, the updated guidelines allow use of cefixime (400 mg PO x1), but recommend a test-of-cure at 1 week.
  

The change was based on evidence that susceptibility to cefixime decreased among U.S. Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates between 2006 and 2011.

In its 2010 treatment guidelines, the CDC recommended combination therapy with a cephalosporin (ceftriaxone or cefixime) plus oral azithromycin or doxycycline.

Reference: MMWR Article