COMPARATIVE EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF SINGLE ORAL DOSES OF SPARFLOXACIN VERSUS CIPROFLOXACIN IN THE TREATMENT OF ACUTE GONOCOCCAL URETHRITIS IN MEN

A double-blind, randomised, international multicentre study was conduc ted to compare the efficacy and safety of sparfloxacin 200 mg versus c iprofloxacin 250 mg as single oral-dose treatment for acute gonorrhoea in men. A total of 238 patients were included and 198 were evaluable for primary efficacy (eradication of Neisseria gonorrhoeae). At follow -up, 99% (96/97) of the sparfloxacin-treated patients were culture-neg ative compared with 98% (92/94) in the ciprofloxacin group. Three of t he four patients who harboured gonococci at follow-up admitted to havi ng had unprotected sexual intercourse after treatment and were probabl y reinfections. The rate of post-gonococcal urethritis was 26% in both groups, although Chlamydia trachomatis was isolated in only 4% of pat ients at inclusion. Both drugs were well tolerated. Single oral doses of sparfloxacin 200 mg and ciprofloxacin 250 mg are equally effective in the treatment of acute gonorrhoea in men.