A new antibiotic has been approved to treat urinary tract infections by the Food and Drug Administration for the first time in decades.
It’s an oral pill called Blujepa from the London-based biopharma company GSK.
The company announced Tuesday that the FDA has approved its medication to treat uncomplicated UTIs in women and girls ages 12 and up.
It’s the most common type of UTI seen in women and more than half are likely to have at least one in their lifetime, GSK said.
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The last time the FDA cleared a new class of antibiotics for these types of UTIs was in 1996, according to GSK.
“New treatments are needed as the number of uUTIs caused by drug-resistant bacteria is increasing which can result in higher treatment failure rates,” GSK said in a statement.
The company expects its new medication to be available in the U.S. in the second half of this year.
A UTI occurs when bacteria enter the urethra and infect the urinary tract, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Symptoms typically include burning while urinating, frequent urination, bloody urine, and cramping in the groin area. The CDC said it can escalate to a kidney infection.
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