England has launched a world-first gonorrhoea vaccination programme that will potentially help avert up to 100,000 cases of the disease and save millions of NHS funding.
GSK’s 4CMenB vaccine is being offered for free to patients at the highest risk of sexually transmitted infection (STI). This includes gay and bisexual men with a recent history of multiple sexual partners or a bacterial STI in the previous 12 months.
The UK’s Department of Health and Social Care said the vaccine’s shielding of those at most risk of gonorrhoea will aim to curb rising cases. Up to 100,000 cases of the disease are expected to be staved off, thanks to the shielding.
The department added that more than £7.9 million of NHS funding will be saved over the next decade, with the vaccine helping to ease pressure on services.
The vaccination programme comes at a time when gonorrhoea case numbers are reaching their highest levels since records began. In 2023, a record 85,000 cases of the disease were reported in England — three times higher than in 2012. A contributing factor has been the increase in antibiotic-resistant strains of the disease – an element that the vaccine will combat.
GSK’s 4CMenB is not a newly approved vaccine. The British drugmaker originally developed the jab to prevent meningococcal B disease, a bacterial infection that can lead to central nervous system inflammation and blood poisoning, both of which are especially severe in babies and infants. The vaccine was approved in Europe in 2013, with the UK becoming the first country to offer the vaccine as part of its routine childhood immunisation schedule in 2015.
Amid evidence that hinted the jab could offer a role in gonorrhoea prevention, the UK’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) met in late 2023 to discuss widening 4CMenB use. Evaluating immunogenicity data and a cost-effective modelling analysis, the panel recommended a targeted vaccination programme 4CMenB in those at the highest risk. As protection against gonorrhoea is not currently a licensed indication for the 4CMenB vaccine in England, the programme utilises off-label use of the vaccine.
UK Health Security Agency consultant epidemiologist Dr Sema Mandal said: “This rollout is hugely welcome as we’re currently seeing very concerning numbers of gonorrhoea, including even more worryingly antibiotic-resistant gonorrhoea. The vaccine will give much-needed protection to those that need it most – making the UK a world leader in the fight against gonorrhoea.”
GSK is also investigating an oral bactericidal antibiotic to treat gonorrhoea in adolescent and adult patients. The candidate, gepotidacin, has produced positive Phase III results, with strong efficacy fighting strains of the gonorrhoea bacteria that are resistant to existing antibiotics. Known under the brand name Blujepa, the drug was approved in the US to treat urinary tract infections in March 2025.
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