Contemporary OB/GYN week in review: Gepotidacin approval, placebo efficacy, and more

Thank you for visiting the Contemporary OB/GYN® website. Take a look at some of our top stories from last week (Monday, March 24, 2025 - Friday, March 28, 2025), and click each link to read and watch anything you may have missed.

FDA approves gepotidacin for uncomplicated UTI treatment

The FDA has approved gepotidacin (Blujepa; GSK), for use in treating uncomplicated urinary tract infections (uUTIs) in female patients aged at least 12 years and weighing at least 40 kg, according to GSK.

“New treatments are needed as the number of uUTIs caused by drug-resistant bacteria is increasing and can result in higher treatment failure rates,” wrote GSK. “Gepotidacin is a late-stage antibiotic in GSK’s growing infectious disease portfolio and could be the first in a new class of oral antibiotics for uUTIs in over 20 years.”

The efficacy and safety of gepotidacin was proven in the EAGLE-2 and EAGLE-3 phase 3 trials, comparing the drug administered as 1500 mg orally twice per day for 5 days with nitrofurantoin 100 mg administered orally for the same duration. Participants included 1531 female adults and 1605 adolescents with uUTIs.

Superiority was reported for gepotidacin compared to nitrofurantoin in EAGLE-3, with therapeutic success occurring in 58.5% and 43.6% of patients receiving these treatments, respectively. This indicated a treatment difference of 14.6%.

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Placebo pills found to significantly reduce premenstrual syndrome symptoms

Placebo pills reduce the intensity and debilitating effect of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms even when recipients are told they do not contain any active medication, according to a recent study published in BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine.

From the first MC to the last MC, participants in the OLP+ group reported a mean change in symptom intensity of 18.00±18.56, indicating a 79.3% reduction. In the OLP- group, this change was an average of 12.89±20.27, indicating a 50.4% reduction.

Patients with standard care had the smallest reduction of 33%. For symptom interference, rates of decline were 82.5%, 50.3%, and 45.7%, respectively.

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Plant-rich diets linked to higher likelihood of healthy aging

A 30-year study of more than 105,000 middle-aged adults found that maintaining a diet rich in plant-based foods, with low to moderate intake of healthy animal-based foods and reduced consumption of ultra-processed foods, was associated with a higher likelihood of healthy aging.

The study, conducted by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, and University of Montreal, is among the first to examine dietary patterns relating to overall healthy aging rather than specific diseases or mortality.

“Studies have previously investigated dietary patterns in the context of specific diseases or how long people live. Ours takes a multifaceted view, asking, how does diet impact people’s ability to live independently and enjoy a good quality of life as they age?” said Frank Hu, Fredrick J. Stare Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology and chair of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard Chan School.

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Study links COVID-19 infection to higher low birthweight and preterm birth rates

Adverse pregnancy outcomes were more common among women who became pregnant at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a recent study published in the Annals of Epidemiology.

“Due to their altered immune system, pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to severe infections,” said Xiaoming Li, PhD, director for the South Carolina Smart State Center for Healthcare Quality. “The number of pregnant women who contracted SARS-CoV-2 during the pandemic raised concerns about the possible impacts on perinatal outcomes.”

Increased low birthweight risk was reported among the pandemic group, with an aRR of 1.10. Additionally, preterm birth and NICU rates increased, while breastfeeding initiation rates decreased, with aRRs of 1.10, 1.13, and 0.98, respectively.

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Disparities in prenatal depression highlight need to disaggregate race data

Disaggregating race and ethnicity data is vital for understanding prenatal depression diagnoses (PDDs) burden and symptom severity, according to a recent study published in JAMA Network Open.

For symptoms, the lowest rate was 7.5% among Japanese patients, while the highest rate was 17.3% for Black patients. The risk of PDD was significantly increased among Puerto Rican and Black patients vs White patients, with adjusted RRs (aRRs) of 1.28 and 1.03, respectively.

In Vietnamese, Mexican, and Central and South American patients, aRRs of 0.25, 0.75, and 0.82, respectively, were reported for PDD risk compared to White patients. This highlighted significantly reduced odds among these populations.

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