Purpose-built for physicians
A study that compared the efficacy of moxifloxacin vs. azithromycin in treating Mycoplasma genitalium — an STI with a rising resistance to antibiotics — showed that moxifloxacin was the clear winner.
In the phase 4 randomized trial, a 10-day regimen of moxifloxacin yielded a significantly higher microbiologic cure rate compared with a 6-day regimen of azithromycin (87% vs. 61.2%; absolute risk difference, 25.8%; 95% CI, 16.5%-35.2%), supporting moxifloxacin as an empiric first-line treatment.
The study pointed out, however, that azithromycin “showed comparable efficacy” among heterosexual participants.
“It is not surprising that moxifloxacin performs better than azithromycin in a population largely composed of” gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (MSM), the study’s lead author, Roberto Rossotti, MD, associate professor of infectious diseases at University of Verona in Italy, told Healio. “But it is surprising that this performance is comparable to that observed with the resistance-guided approach, saving 4 days of treatment and one class of antibiotics.”
