Secnidazole is structurally related to the commonly used 5-nitroimidazoles metronidazole and tinidazole. These drugs share a common spectrum of activity against anaerobic micro-organisms and they appear particularly effective in the treatment of amoebiasis, giardiasis, trichomoniasis and bacterial vaginosis. Secnidazole is rapidly and completely absorbed after oral administration and has a longer terminal elimination half-life than commonly used drugs in this class. Patients with hepatic amoebiasis appears to respond well to 5- to 7-day therapy with secnidazole, but the efficacy of this drug regimen requires further evaluation in larger numbers of patients. In the clinical trials reviewed, secnidazole was well tolerated; most adverse events were gastrointestinal in nature and did not require treatment intervention or withdrawal from therapy.
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