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 conducted to compare the efficacy and safety of sparfloxacin 200 mg versus ciprofloxacin 250 mg as single oral-dose treatment for acute gonorrhoea in men. A total of 238 patients were included and 191 were evaluable for primary efficacy (eradication of Neisseria gonorrhoeae). At follow-up, 99% (96/97) of the sparfloxacin-treated patients were culture-negative compared with 98% (92/94) in the ciprofloxacin group. Three of the four patients who harboured gonococci at follow-up admitted to having had unprotected sexual intercourse after treatment and were probably reinfections. The rate of post-gonococcal urethritis was 26% in both groups, although Chlamydia trachomatis was isolated in only 4% of patients 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.