A new oral pill to treat drug-resistant gonorrhea
Official title: Development of a Novel Oral Antibiotic for the Treatment of Drug Resistant Gonorrhea
Funded at Aimmax Therapeutics, INC. · NIH-11164501 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project aims to create an oral antibiotic that can treat gonorrhea that no longer responds to current drugs and might also cover common chlamydia co-infections.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Sbir 2 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Aimmax Therapeutics, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Durham, United States) |
| Project start | August 8, 2022 |
| Project end | July 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $1,049,943 |
| NIH project number | 5R44AI170150-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11164501 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates would be people diagnosed with gonorrhea—especially infections suspected or confirmed to be resistant to current injectable antibiotics—or patients who need an effective oral alternative to injection.
✕Less likely to help
People without bacterial sexually transmitted infections, those with viral STIs, or individuals with known allergy to the investigational drug class may not benefit from this treatment.
What this research studies
This work is developing a new oral antibiotic designed to kill strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae that are resistant to current treatments. The team is designing the drug to avoid cross-resistance with existing antibiotics and testing its activity in laboratory and development studies. Because many people with gonorrhea also carry Chlamydia trachomatis, the program is looking for activity against both pathogens to allow a single-pill treatment. The development pathway likely includes advanced preclinical work and later clinical testing at selected sites.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could get a single oral antibiotic that treats drug-resistant gonorrhea (and possibly co-occurring chlamydia), improving convenience and adherence and reducing complications.
How similar studies have gone: Other novel oral antibiotics for gonorrhea have been pursued and some early clinical results look promising, but no single widely adopted oral replacement for current therapy is yet standard of care.
Where this research is happening
-
Aimmax Therapeutics, INC.
Durham, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Wang, Laurene — Aimmax Therapeutics, INC.
- Study coordinator: Wang, Laurene
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.