The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Orlynvah, a new oral treatment for uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs) in women who have limited options for effective antibiotic therapy.
Uncomplicated UTIs are bladder infections that typically affect women who don’t have other issues like kidney disease or urinary tract abnormalities. These infections are common, affecting around half of all women at least once in their lives.
Treating UTIs can be difficult when standard antibiotics don’t work well, often because of antibiotic resistance or certain health conditions. Orlynvah offers a promising new option by combining two drugs, sulopenem etzadroxil and probenecid, in one oral tablet. This combination helps keep the antibiotic in the body longer, making it work better, especially against bacteria that resist traditional treatments. Orlynvah is specifically approved to target infections from bacteria like Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Proteus mirabilis, which can be harder to treat.
Marjorie Golden, MD, an infectious disease specialist at Yale New Haven Hospital in Connecticut, described Orlynvah as a much-needed alternative for women struggling with difficult-to-treat UTIs.
“Orlynvah has the potential to be an important treatment option for those who need it,” she said in a news release from Iterum Therapeutics, the drug’s maker.
The FDA approved Orlynvah based on two large clinical trials involving over 3,800 women. In these studies, Orlynvah worked as well as or better than antibiotics like ciprofloxacin and Augmentin. It was generally well-tolerated, though common side effects included diarrhea, nausea, yeast infections, and headaches.
The FDA advises people to discuss their medical history with their doctor before taking Orlynvah, especially if they have conditions like gout, kidney stones, or allergies to other antibiotics.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.