BALTIMORE — Lupin Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced that Solosec (secnidazole) 2g oral granules for the treatment of bacterial vaginosis (BV) in adult women is now available to patients across the United States.

Solosec, the first new oral antibiotic to treat BV in more than a decade, is the only single 2g oral dose therapy for the most common vaginal infection in the U.S. among women of childbearing age. This next-generation treatment is designed to deliver a full course of therapy in just one packet.

BV affects 21 million women ages 14 to 49 annually. However, women of any age can get BV, even if they have never had sex. Common signs and symptoms associated with BV include unusual vaginal discharge that can be white or gray; watery; or have a strong fish-like odor. Although many healthcare professionals and patients do not consider BV to be very serious, if left untreated, BV can have more severe consequences with increased risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases, including chlamydia, trichomaniasis, gonorrhea, herpes and HIV, increase the risk of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), which may affect fertility, or can lead to pre-term birth and low birth weight.

New, single oral-dose Solosec was designed to be a simpler solution for patients with BV.  Many women have expressed frustration and dissatisfaction with current treatments, which require that they choose between multiple days of pills or messy creams, abstain from drinking alcohol, and use a backup form of birth control  – all of which make completing treatment a challenge. In fact, studies reveal that the longer and more complex a drug regimen is, the more it may lead to poor adherence and treatment failure. [9] It only takes one packet of Solosec to complete treatment and the single dose stays in the body and continues to treat BV for four days without an alcohol restriction: in vitro drug alcohol studies show Solosec does not inhibit the enzyme that metabolizes alcohol.

“With more than four million women treated for BV in the U.S. annually, and only 50 percent completing 5- to 7-day treatments, there is a clear need for an effective, single-dose oral treatment option that normalizes BV symptoms without the use of creams or week-long regimens to improve adherence,” said Nick Hart, president — specialty, Lupin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. “We are proud that Lupin has been at the forefront of advancing safe and affordable healthcare for women globally for decades, and we are committed to helping prevent and manage women’s health conditions with serious consequences, including BV.”