Efficacy and safety of fesoterodine 8 mg in subjects with overactive bladder after a suboptimal response to tolterodine ER

Comparative assessment of efficacy and safety of approved oral therapies for overactive bladder: a systematic review and network meta-analysis

bladder based on a systematic review and network meta-analysis approach.

METHODS

Pubmed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Register of Clinical Trials databases were systematically searched. The search time frame was from database creation to June 2, 2022. Randomized controlled double-blind trials of oral medication for overactive bladder were screened against the protocol's entry criteria. Trials were evaluated for quality using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Assessment Tool, and data were statistically analyzed using Stata 16.0 software.

RESULT

A total of 60 randomized controlled double-blind clinical trials were included involving 50,333 subjects. Solifenacin 10mg was the most effective in mean daily micturitions and incontinence episodes, solifenacin 5/10mg in mean daily urinary urgency episodes and nocturia episodes, fesoterodine 8mg in urgency incontinence episodes/d and oxybutynin 5mg in voided volume/micturition. In terms of safety, solifenacin 5mg, ER-tolterodine 4mg, mirabegron, vibegron and ER-oxybutynin 10mg all showed a better incidence of dry mouth, fesoterodine 4mg, ER-oxybutynin 10mg, tolterodine 2mg, and vibegron in the incidence of constipation. Compared to placebo, imidafenacin 0.1mg showed a significantly increased incidence in hypertension, solifenacin 10mg in urinary tract infection, fesoterodine 4/8mg and darifenacin 15mg in headache.

CONCLUSION

Solifenacin showed better efficacy. For safety, most anticholinergic drugs were more likely to cause dry mouth and constipation, lower doses were better tolerated. The choice of drugs should be tailored to the patient's specific situation to find the best balance between efficacy and safety.

Management of use of urinary antimuscarinics and alpha blockers for benign prostatic hyperplasia in older adults at risk of falls: a clinical review

PURPOSE

We aimed to outline the existing information and the underlying mechanisms of risk of falls associated with the use of urinary antimuscarinics for overactive bladder (OAB) or alpha-blockers for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in older adults. In addition, we aimed to provide assistance to clinicians in decision-making about (de-)prescribing these drugs in older adults.

METHODOLOGY

Based on a literature search in PubMed and Google Scholar, we reviewed the literature, and identified additional relevant articles from reference lists, with an emphasis on the most commonly prescribed drugs in OAB and BPH in older patients. We discussed the use of bladder antimuscarinics and alpha-blockers, their potential side effects related to falls, and the deprescribing of these drugs in older adults.

RESULTS

Urinary urgency or incontinence and lower urinary tract symptoms due to untreated OAB and BPH contribute to fall risk. On the other hand, the use of bladder antimuscarinics and alpha-blockers is also related to fall risk. They contribute to (or cause) falling through dizziness, somnolence, visual impairment, and orthostatic hypotension while they differ in their side-effect profiles regarding these problems. Falls are common and can cause a remarkable amount of morbidity and mortality. Thus, preventive measures should be taken to lower the risk. If the clinical condition allows, withdrawal of bladder antimuscarinics and alpha-blockers is recommended in fall-prone older adults. There are practical resources and algorithms that guide and assist clinicians in deprescribing these drug groups.

CONCLUSIONS

The decision to prescribe or deprescribe these treatments in patients at high risk of falls should be individualized. In addition to explicit tools that are helpful for clinical decision-making in (de-)prescribing these drugs, STOPPFall (a recently developed expert-based decision aid specifically aiming to prevent falls) is present to assist prescribers in attaining decisions.

Oral anticholinergic drugs versus placebo or no treatment for managing overactive bladder syndrome in adults

BACKGROUND

Around 16% of adults have symptoms of overactive bladder (OAB; urgency with frequency and/or urge incontinence), with prevalence increasing with age. Anticholinergic drugs are commonly used to treat this condition. This is an update of a Cochrane Review first published in 2002 and last updated in 2006.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the effects of anticholinergic drugs compared with placebo or no treatment for treating overactive bladder syndrome in adults.

SEARCH METHODS

We searched the Cochrane Incontinence Specialised Register, which contains trials identified from the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, MEDLINE In-Process, MEDLINE Epub Ahead of Print, ClinicalTrials.gov, WHO ICTRP and handsearching of journals and conference proceedings (searched 14 January 2020), and the reference lists of relevant articles. We updated this search on 3 May 2022, but these results have not yet been fully incorporated.

SELECTION CRITERIA

We included randomised or quasi-randomised trials in adults with overactive bladder syndrome that compared an anticholinergic drug alone with placebo treatment.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Two review authors independently assessed eligibility and extracted data from the included studies, including an assessment of the risk of bias. We assessed the certainty of the body of evidence using the GRADE approach. We processed data as described in the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions.

MAIN RESULTS

We included 104 studies, 71 of which were new or updated for this version of the review. Although 12 studies did not report the number of participants, there were 47,106 people in the remainder of the included studies. The majority of the studies had insufficient information to allow judgement of risk of bias and we judged them to be unclear for all domains. Nine anticholinergic drugs were included in these studies: darifenacin; fesoterodine; imidafenacin; oxybutynin; propantheline; propiverine; solifenacin; tolterodine and trospium. No studies were found that compared anticholinergic drugs to no treatment. At the end of the treatment period, anticholinergics may slightly increase condition-specific quality of life (mean difference (MD) 4.41 lower, 95% confidence interval (CI) 5.28 lower to 3.54 lower (scale range -100 to 0); 12 studies, 6804 participants; low-certainty evidence). Anticholinergics are probably better than placebo in terms of patient perception of cure or improvement (risk ratio (RR) 1.38, 95% CI 1.15 to 1.66; 9 studies, 8457 participants; moderate-certainty evidence), and the mean number of urgency episodes per 24-hour period (MD 0.85 lower, 95% CI 1.03 lower to 0.67 lower; 23 studies, 16,875 participants; moderate-certainty evidence). Compared to placebo, anticholinergics may result in an increase in dry mouth adverse events (RR 3.50, 95% CI 3.26 to 3.75; 66 studies, 38,368 participants; low-certainty evidence), and may result in an increased risk of urinary retention (RR 3.52, 95% CI 2.04 to 6.08; 17 studies, 7862 participants; low-certainty evidence). Taking anticholinergics may be more likely to lead to participants withdrawing from the studies due to adverse events (RR 1.37, 95% CI 1.21 to 1.56; 61 studies, 36,943 participants; low-certainty evidence). However, taking anticholinergics probably reduces the mean number of micturitions per 24-hour period compared to placebo (MD 0.85 lower, 95% CI 0.98 lower to 0.73 lower; 30 studies, 19,395 participants; moderate-certainty evidence).

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

The use of anticholinergic drugs by people with overactive bladder syndrome results in important but modest improvements in symptoms compared with placebo treatment. In addition, recent studies suggest that this is generally associated with only modest improvement in quality of life. Adverse effects were higher with all anticholinergics compared with placebo. Withdrawals due to adverse effects were also higher for all anticholinergics except tolterodine. It is not known whether any benefits of anticholinergics are sustained during long-term treatment or after treatment stops.

European Association of Urology Guidelines on the Diagnosis and Management of Female Non-neurogenic Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms. Part 1: Diagnostics, Overactive Bladder, Stress Urinary Incontinence, and Mixed Urinary Incontinence

CONTEXT

Female lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) are a common presentation in urological practice. Thus far, only a limited number of female LUTS conditions have been included in the European Association of Urology (EAU) guidelines compendium. The new non-neurogenic female LUTS guideline expands the remit to include these symptoms and conditions.

OBJECTIVE

To summarise the diagnostic section of the non-neurogenic female LUTS guideline and the management of female overactive bladder (OAB), stress urinary incontinence (SUI), and mixed urinary incontinence (MUI).

EVIDENCE ACQUISITION

New literature searches were carried out in September 2021 and evidence synthesis was conducted using the modified GRADE criteria as outlined for all EAU guidelines. A new systematic review (SR) on OAB was carried out by the panel for the purposes of this guideline.

EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS

The important considerations for informing guideline recommendations are presented, along with a summary of all the guideline recommendations.

CONCLUSIONS

Non-neurogenic female LUTS are an important cause of urological dysfunction. Initial evaluation, diagnosis, and management should be carried out in a structured and logical fashion based on the best available evidence. This guideline serves to present this evidence to health care providers in an easily accessible and digestible format.

PATIENT SUMMARY

This report summarises the main recommendations from the European Association of Urology guideline on symptoms and diseases of the female lower urinary tract (bladder and urethra) not associated with neurological disease. We cover recommendations related to diagnosis of these conditions, as well as the treatment of overactive bladder, stress urinary incontinence, and mixed urinary incontinence.

Monotherapy with mirabegron had a better tolerance than the anticholinergic agents on overactive bladder: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

We conducted this meta-analysis to explore the tolerance of monotherapy with mirabegron (50 mg) on an overactive bladder, compared with a common dosage of anticholinergic agents.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A comprehensive search for all randomized controlled trials that evaluated the safety of mirabegron and anticholinergic agents on overactive bladder was performed, and we searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled trials databases, Pubmed, Embase, and relevant trials from 2013.02 to 2019.10.

RESULTS

Eight studies included 5500 patients with treatment of monotherapy on overactive bladder were identified. The total number of treatment-emergent adverse events had no significantly difference between two monotherapies (RR = 0.88 95%CI: 0.76-1.01; P = .08); however, patients would have a better tolerance with mirabegron (50 mg) in adverse events of dry mouth (RR = 0.42; 95%CI: 0.33-0.53; P < .01) and tachycardia (RR = 0.52; 95%CI: 0.29-0.94; P = .03); and there were no significant differences between two groups in hypertension (RR = 1.02; 95%CI: 0.80-1.30; P = .90), constipation (RR = 0.91; 95%CI: 0.65-1.26; P = 0.57), blurred vision (RR = 1.03; 95%CI: 0.60-1.77; P = 0.92), and urinary tract infection (RR = 0.90; 95%CI: 0.70-1.16; P = .41).

CONCLUSIONS

Treatment-emergent adverse events in patients with overactive bladder who underwent monotherapy of mirabegron (50 mg) or the anticholinergic agents had no significant differences, but mirabegron has a better tolerance in the aspect of dry mouth and tachycardia.

What are the chances of improvement or cure from overactive bladder? A pooled responder analysis of efficacy and treatment emergent adverse events following treatment with fesoterodine

Aim

This study describes patients with different degrees and combinations of symptom resolution in response to fesoterodine exposure to aid physicians in counselling patients with overactive bladder (OAB) on the likelihood of treatment success.

Methods

Data came from 12‐week fixed‐dose studies of fesoterodine. The proportions of patients experiencing symptom resolution and change in patient‐reported outcome measures (PROM) at 4, 8, and 12 weeks were calculated. Treatment‐emergent adverse events (TEAE) were reported according to response in urinary urgency episodes (UUE). The relationship between PROM and response was examined.

Results

Out of 6689 patients, 81.6% female, urgency urinary incontinence (UUI) episodes/24 h were more responsive to fesoterodine than UUE; with roughly 50% of patients reporting a 50% reduction and fewer than 10% reporting absence of UUE at 12 weeks compared to approximately 40%–50% reporting absence of UUI. TEAE was numerically lower in patients with greater response. There was a statistically significant relationship between improvement in urinary urgency and associated change in OAB‐q symptom bother scores, r = 0.54, p < 0.001. At Week 4, 64.0%–76.7% of patients who had achieved a significant change in Patient Perception of Bladder Condition (PPBC) had a 50% reduction in UUI. At Week 12 this proportion was between 80% and 87.9%, with those being exposed to fesoterodine treatment reporting response in PPBC at numerically higher rates.

Conclusion

These data provide clinicians with information from which they may usefully communicate the likelihood of symptom resolution in response to pharmacotherapy for OAB and answer a key clinical question posed by many care providers. Roughly ⅓ of fesoterodine treated patients reported a 50% reduction urgency and ¾ reported 50% resolution of incontinence at 12 weeks. Total resolution of all symptoms was seldom achieved.

Nocebo Response in the Pharmacological Management of Overactive Bladder: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

CONTEXT

The role of a nocebo response in managing urology patients is unclear.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the nocebo response in randomized placebo-controlled overactive bladder (OAB) trials of pharmacological treatment by investigating the adverse events in the placebo arms.

EVIDENCE ACQUISITION

PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched to identify potential randomized controlled trials published from 1998 to November 2019. After evaluating the risk of bias in the selected studies, all selected full-text articles were included due to their overall acceptable quality. We extracted the event rate of the most commonly reported adverse events in the placebo arms of OAB trials, and finally, we performed a meta-analysis to calculate the cumulative rate of certain adverse events. The primary outcomes were the event rate of adverse events in the placebo arms of OAB trials of pharmacological treatment, and differences in adverse events in the placebo groups based on drug type and routes of administration.

EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS

After a systematic search and risk of bias assessment, 57 trials comprising 15 446 patients were included in this systematic review. We selected 13 commonly reported adverse events for the meta-analysis. Owing to the possible differences in study samples and design, we used a random model for the analysis. The average age of the patients was 59.5 yr and 79.8% were female. Dry mouth was the most commonly evaluated adverse event reported in 57 studies comprising 15 324 patients; the mean event rate was 4.9% (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.042-0.057, p < 0.001). Constipation was the second most commonly reported adverse event in 49 studies comprising 14 556 patients; the mean event rate of constipation was 2.6% (95% CI 0.022-0.031, p < 0.001). The event rate of headache was evaluated in 33 studies comprising 10 202 patients, with a mean event rate of 3.1% (95% CI 0.026-0.037, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Dry mouth, constipation, headache, and nasopharyngitis were the most prevalent events in the included studies. The nocebo response plays a statistically significant role in causing and/or facilitating adverse events. Health care providers should have a better understanding of the positive and negative expectations associated with therapies to achieve the best possible outcomes for each individual patient. Finally, identification of the real effect of nocebo requires studies that also include a no-treatment arm. Research could help us better understand and potentially modify the nocebo response.

PATIENT SUMMARY

In this meta-analysis of 57 studies comprising 15 446 patients, we reviewed the adverse events extracted from the placebo arms of randomized controlled trials studying therapies for overactive bladder. Dry mouth, constipation, headache, and urinary tract infection were the most common adverse events. Adverse events varied based on the drug type and the route of administration. Negative expectations from the therapy and giving verbal information to the patient can cause/alleviate adverse events.

Combination Pharmacotherapy for Treatment of Overactive Bladder (OAB)

Overactive bladder syndrome (OAB) negatively affects the quality of life of patients and their interactions with society. Treatment of OAB starts with behavioral modification and then pharmacotherapy using monotherapy with either antimuscarinics or β3 agonists. The third-line more invasive approaches are the next treatment option currently recommended. Both antimuscarinic agents and β3 agonists work through a different molecular pathway. This brings up the potential of having an additive effect when using a combination treatment for patients with OAB. Currently, the potential for using combination therapy to treat OAB in patients who had no improvement with a monotherapy approach before we attempt a more invasive approach is being explored. Several studies have shown the benefits of combination therapy which will be an additional option to the tools to treat OAB.

Characterizing the Health-Related Quality of Life Burden of Overactive Bladder Using Disease-Specific Patient-Reported Outcome Measures: A Systematic Literature Review

Introduction

The objective was to identify the most commonly used patient-reported outcome (PRO) instruments for overactive bladder (OAB), determine which are the most useful for measuring burden in OAB and characterize the findings of recent studies that have employed PRO instruments to assess OAB symptoms and the effects of treatment.

Methods

A systematic search of OAB literature published between January 2006 and November 2017 using Medline/PubMed and EMBASE databases.

Results

Of 3425 abstracts and 500 full-text articles reviewed, 58 studies (both clinical trials and observational studies) were included in the review. The most commonly used PRO instruments were the OAB Questionnaire (OAB-q; 64%), followed by the King’s Health Questionnaire (KHQ; 31%) and the Patient Perception of Bladder Condition (PCBC; 21%). Synthesis of data from studies using the OAB-q showed that OAB treatment with antimuscarinics, mirabegron and onabotulinumtoxinA all improve health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and symptoms beyond the benefits observed with placebo. The OAB-q could detect dose–response relationships in some studies and demonstrated there were no significant differences across therapies from different drug classes.

Conclusion

The HRQoL burden of OAB and response to treatment can be reliably measured by PRO instruments, and the OAB-q is the most commonly used instrument in OAB, particularly in clinical trials of OAB interventions. These data will be useful to provide benchmarks of burden levels for PRO scores obtained among those on contemporary therapies for comparison with outcomes from patients managed with emerging treatments.

Funding

Astellas Pharma Global Development, Inc.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1007/s12325-019-0880-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Effects of Electroacupuncture on Overactive Bladder Refractory to Anticholinergics: A Single-Blind Randomised Controlled Trial

Objective

To investigate the clinical effects and safety of electroacupuncture (EA) in the treatment of overactive bladder (OAB) refractory to first-line anticholinergic treatment.

Methods

Women diagnosed with OAB who were refractory to first-line anticholinergic treatment were referred for EA therapy. 50 women enrolled in this single-blind randomised controlled trial and were randomised 1:1 to EA or sham EA (SEA). The EA and SEA groups were treated with 30 sessions (5 sessions a week for 6 weeks), and each session lasted 30 min. OAB symptom scores (OABSS), King's Health Questionnaire scores (KHQ) and urodynamic parameters were used to assess treatment effects. Safety was also evaluated.

Results

45 women completed all aspects of the study (23 in the EA group and 22 in the SEA group). The OABSS and KHQ showed statistically significant improvements in the EA group compared with the SEA group after 6 weeks of treatment (p<0.05). There were no statistical differences in the maximum flow rate and postvoid residual (p>0.05), but there were statistical improvements in the first sensation of bladder filling, first urge to void and maximum cystometric capacity (p<0.05) in the EA group compared with the SEA group. No serious adverse events occurred in either group.

Conclusions

EA appears to be an effective, safe and minimally invasive treatment for women with OAB. Further studies with longer follow-up are needed to evaluate whether it could be a therapeutic option for OAB refractory to treatment with anticholinergics.

The efficacy of mirabegron in the treatment of urgency and the potential utility of combination therapy

Urgency is the prevalent and most bothersome symptom of overactive bladder (OAB) and the treatment of urgency is the primary objective in the management of OAB. Urgency has a major impact on other symptoms of OAB and culminates in an increased frequency of micturition and reduced volume voided, which may contribute to shorter intervals between the need to void. Antimuscarinic agents and mirabegron, a β3-adrenoceptor agonist, constitute the main oral pharmacotherapeutic options for the treatment of urgency and other OAB symptoms. The reduction of urgency and other OAB symptoms significantly improve health-related quality of life. This review will explore the distinct mechanisms of action and effects of antimuscarinic agents and mirabegron, in relation to their effect on the pathophysiology of urgency. The review will also provide an overview of the various validated measurements of urgency and the numerous clinical trials regarding antimuscarinic agent monotherapy, mirabegron monotherapy, or combination treatment with mirabegron added on to the antimuscarinic agent solifenacin. A narrative review of the literature relating to pathophysiology of urgency, the validated measurements of urgency, and clinical trials relating to the pharmacological treatment of urgency. Antimuscarinic agent monotherapy, mirabegron monotherapy, or combination treatment with mirabegron added on to the antimuscarinic agent solifenacin statistically significantly reduce the symptoms of urgency compared with placebo. Combination therapy with mirabegron added on to solifenacin also statistically significantly reduces the symptoms of severe urgency compared with antimuscarinic agent monotherapy. A critique of the clinical benefits of combination therapy is also provided. Combination therapy provides an alternative treatment in patients with OAB that includes urgency who respond poorly to first-line monotherapy and who may otherwise often move on to more invasive treatments.

Pharmacotherapy in overactive bladder

Overactive bladder syndrome (OAB) has a high prevalence within the population and has a negative effect on quality of life. Although the precise pathophysiology has yet to be fully elucidated, pharmacotherapeutic agents have been developed targeting two main pathways, antimuscarinic drugs and β3-adrenoreceptor agonists. Conservative management strategies, for example, bladder training, should be used as first-line treatment, with pharmacotherapy used as an adjunct if this is insufficiently effective. Antimuscarinics have a moderate effect on treating the symptoms of OAB, are associated with side effects, particularly dry mouth, and have low adherence rates in the long term. No single agent has consistently shown superiority over another. Antimuscarinics can affect cognition and may contribute to the anticholinergic burden in elderly patients. Mirabegron, a β3-agonist, appears to be as effective as antimuscarinics in improving symptoms of OAB with fewer side effects and improved adherence, and is currently recommended if treatment with antimuscarinics has failed. A combination of an antimuscarinic and β3-agonist may be worth considering if symptoms remain refractory or to reduce the side-effect profile associated with higher doses of antimuscarinics.

Level of evidence: Not applicable.

Efficacy and safety of fesoterodine treatment for overactive bladder symptoms in elderly women with and without hypertension

OBJECTIVE

To assess fesoterodine treatment in elderly women with overactive bladder with and without hypertension.

METHODS

Data for 2527 elderly women with overactive bladder symptoms, including urgency urinary incontinence, were pooled from 10 double-blind, placebo-controlled fesoterodine studies.

RESULTS

A total of 1523 elderly women (60.3%) had a history of hypertension, and 1004 women (39.7%) had no hypertension history. Overactive bladder symptoms, mean bodyweight and mean body mass index at baseline were significantly higher in women with overactive bladder and hypertension versus those without hypertension (P < 0.05). Statistically significant improvements in overactive bladder symptoms at week 12 were observed for fesoterodine treatment versus placebo in women with hypertension and those without (P < 0.05). The diary-dry rate (no urgency urinary incontinence episodes), the proportion with less than eight micturitions/24 h, overactive bladder symptom bother and health-related quality of life were also statistically significantly improved by fesoterodine treatment in both populations. Incidence of treatment-related adverse events with fesoterodine was similar in women with hypertension (39.3%) and without hypertension (44.6%). Dry mouth and constipation were the most common treatment-related adverse events with fesoterodine in women with hypertension (26.2% and 5.2%, respectively) and without hypertension (30.5% and 8.0%).

CONCLUSIONS

A relationship among the severity of overactive bladder symptoms, hypertension and obesity in elderly women is suggested. Fesoterodine provides significantly greater improvements in overactive bladder symptoms and health-related quality of life versus placebo in women with or without hypertension. Hypertension does not appear to affect the efficacy and safety of fesoterodine in elderly women with overactive bladder symptoms, including urgency urinary incontinence.

No. 353-Treatments for Overactive Bladder: Focus on Pharmacotherapy - An Addendum

OBJECTIVE

This technical update addendum reviews success rates and comparative evidence of the anticholinergic fesoterodine, as well as mechanism of action, safety profile, success rates, and comparative evidence of the β3 agonist mirabegron in the treatment of non-neurogenic overactive bladder syndrome (OAB). This adds to OAB pharmacotherapy recommendations initially published in 2012.

INTENDED USERS

Residents and other trainees, primary care practitioners, gynaecologists, urologists, urogynaecologists, and other health care providers who assess, counsel, and treat women with OAB.

TARGET POPULATION

Adult women with symptomatic OAB.

OPTIONS

This addition relates to fesoterodine, mirabegron, and anticholinergic-β3 agonist combination pharmacotherapy.

OUTCOMES

The outcomes of interest are clinical efficacy of fesoterodine compared with no treatment or other OAB therapies; mechanism of action and safety profile of mirabegron, clinical efficacy of mirabegron compared to no treatment or other OAB therapies; clinical efficacy of anticholinergic-β3 agonist combination pharmacotherapy for OAB.

EVIDENCE

PubMed, Medline, and the Cochrane Database were searched using the key words "fesoterodine" and "mirabegron." Results were restricted to English or French and human clinical and pharmacological research. Animal research and clinical studies including only male participants were excluded. Articles were included until the end of December 2016. Grey literature was not searched. Clinical practice guidelines, guidelines of specialty societies, and systematic reviews were included. RCTs and observational studies were included when evidence for the outcome of interest or in the target population was not available from systematic reviews. New studies not yet included in systematic reviews were also included. References of included articles were also searched to ensure comprehensive inclusion of relevant literature.

VALUES

The content and recommendations were drafted and agreed upon by the principal author, as well as members of the Urogynaecology Committee. The Board of the SOGC approved the final draft for publication. The quality of evidence was rated using the criteria described in the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology framework. The Summary of Findings is available upon request.

BENEFITS, HARMS, AND/OR COSTS

It is expected that this technical update will benefit patients with OAB by providing physicians and other interested health care providers with additional options for and knowledge of safe and effective OAB pharmacotherapy. The benefits clearly outweigh the potential harms or costs of implementation of this technical update, although there are no direct harms or costs identified. UPDATES: "Evidence will be reviewed 5 years after publication to decide whether all or part of the document should be updated. However, if important new evidence is published prior to the 5-year cycle, the review process may be accelerated for a more rapid update of some recommendations."

SPONSORS

Not applicable.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Characteristics of antimuscarinic responders versus suboptimal responders in a randomized clinical trial of patients with overactive bladder symptoms

OBJECTIVE

To assess the characteristics of tolterodine extended-release (ER) 4 mg responders and suboptimal responders (≤50% decrease in UUI episodes/24 h) among patients with overactive bladder (OAB), including urgency urinary incontinence (UUI), and identify predictors of a >50% UUI response with fesoterodine 8 mg in tolterodine suboptimal responders.

METHODS

Adult patients with OAB symptoms for ≥6 months and ≥8 micturitions, and ≥2 and <15 UUI episodes/24 h at week -2 received open-label tolterodine ER 4 mg during a 2 week run-in. Suboptimal responders after tolterodine treatment (week 0) were randomized to fesoterodine (4 mg for 1 week, 8 mg for weeks 2-12) or placebo once daily. Post-hoc analyses compared the percentage change from week -2 to week 0 in UUI episodes/24 h in tolterodine responders versus suboptimal responders and identified significant predictors of a UUI response at week 12 with fesoterodine 8 mg among tolterodine suboptimal responders.

RESULTS

Of 897 patients, 610 (68%) were UUI suboptimal responders during the run-in period. UUI episodes/24 h at week -2 were similar in tolterodine responders and suboptimal responders (4.2 vs. 4.3), but responders showed a significantly greater median percentage decrease in UUI episodes/24 h after tolterodine treatment at week 0 (80.0% versus 15.3%; p < .0001). During double-blind treatment, the percentage of patients with a UUI response at week 12 was significantly greater with fesoterodine (69.9%) than placebo (57.0%; p = .0027). Fesoterodine (vs. placebo), no previous antimuscarinic use before tolterodine run-in, and less UUI severity at baseline were significant predictors of a UUI response.

CONCLUSIONS

For patients with OAB, including UUI, who were treated initially with tolterodine and showed a suboptimal UUI response, nearly 70% demonstrated a UUI response with second-line fesoterodine 8 mg. No antimuscarinic use before tolterodine and fewer baseline UUI episodes were significant predictors of a UUI response with fesoterodine.

Development of a predictive model for urgency urinary incontinence

The ability to set realistic expectations of treatment response in patients with overactive bladder (OAB) can have an impact on patient engagement and adherence to study medication. In order to help set treatment expectations for OAB, a Physician Predictive Tool has been developed based on predictive modelling. Models have been developed utilizing data from eight Phase 3 and 4 fesoterodine clinical trials and these models enable the prediction of individual treatment response in subjects with OAB, based on various baseline characteristics. The data utilized and covariates that were hypothesized to influence treatment response are described. The model selection and development process are also outlined, and the final model and some example results utilizing this model are presented. Finally, we discuss the potential benefits and limitations of such a predictive tool.

Comparison of solifenacin and fesoterodine in treatment of overactive bladder

Objectives:

To compare the use of solifenacin and fesoterodine in treatment of overactive bladder (OAB).

Methods:

This prospective study was conducted on patients diagnosed with OAB who presenting to the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Urology, School of Medicine, Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam University, Kahramanmaraş, Turkey between October 2013 and August 2014. Patients were randomized into 2 groups. Group 1 (n=60) received 5 mg solifenacin per day, while Group 2 (n=59) received 4 mg fesoterodine per day. All the patients’ OAB symptom scores (OABSS) in weeks 0, 4, and 12 were recorded. In addition, treatment costs and side effects of the drugs were evaluated.

Results:

Average OABSS (score 1) was determined as: 9.5 ± 2.8 for Group 1 and 10.7 ± 1.8 for Group 2 at week 0; 2.2 ± 1.2 (Group 1) and 2.4 ± 1.3 (Group 2) at week 4 (score 2); and 1.3 ± 0.5 for Group 1 and 1.3 ± 0.6 for Group 2 at week 12 (score 3). In addition, no statistically significant difference was found between the scores (p=0.062 (score 1), p=0.464 (score 2), and p=0.527 (score 3). The discontinuation rate of medication due to its side effects was 0 (0%) for Group 1, and 6 (10.2%) for Group 2. Intragroup changes in the scores 1-2, 1-3, and 2-3 values was statistically significant in both groups (p<0.001).

Conclusion:

No significant difference was found between the OABSS of these 2 drugs. However, discontinuation of drugs due to side effects was more frequent in fesoterodine.

Fesoterodine clinical efficacy and safety for the treatment of overactive bladder in relation to patient profiles: a systematic review

OBJECTIVE

To summarize published evidence on the pharmacology, efficacy, and safety of fesoterodine for the treatment of overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms in relation to patient clinical and demographic profiles.

METHODS

A systematic review of published articles on fesoterodine was conducted via a PubMed search. Articles were identified using the search term fesoterodine, with limits of human species and abstract available. Review and meta-analysis articles, validation studies, articles focused on treatment compliance/adherence, meeting abstracts, and articles not focused on oral fesoterodine administration in human subjects were excluded. Data from retained articles were summarized descriptively.

RESULTS

Of 137 articles identified, 61 (15 articles on the pharmacology and 46 articles on the efficacy and/or safety of fesoterodine) met inclusion criteria. Superiority trials demonstrated the additional efficacy of fesoterodine 8 mg versus fesoterodine 4 mg and tolterodine extended release 4 mg in treating OAB. Prospective trials in specific patient populations indicated beneficial effects of fesoterodine in elderly patients, vulnerable elderly patients, patients dissatisfied with or with a suboptimal response to previous antimuscarinic therapy, patients with urge urinary incontinence (UUI) or nocturnal urgency, and men with persistent LUTS during alpha-blocker treatment. With two effective doses, the fesoterodine dose can be adjusted to achieve optimal efficacy and tolerability in individual patients. The most common adverse events during fesoterodine treatment are dry mouth and constipation.

CONCLUSIONS

Extensive evidence demonstrates the efficacy and safety of fesoterodine in relieving OAB symptoms, including urgency, urinary frequency, UUI, and nocturnal urgency, in patients with various clinical and demographic profiles. Trial results provide valuable information on fesoterodine treatment in specific patient populations, including both elderly and vulnerable elderly patients. Potential limitations of this review are that only English language articles in PubMed were searched and included.

Refractory overactive bladder: a common problem?

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS

Unsatisfactory treatment outcome sometimes is described as frequently occurring in patients treated with first-line therapy for overactive bladder (OAB). The present article reviews the different circumstances which may result in failure to respond to lifestyle interventions, behavioral therapy, and/or antimuscarinic treatment.

METHODS

An extensive literature search was conducted to identify relevant articles on pathophysiological, clinical, and pharmacological aspects of refractory OAB.

RESULTS

Missing definition, unrealistic individual expectation of treatment outcomes, lack of communication between physician and patient as well as pathophysiological and pharmacological processes were identified as relevant for failure to respond to first-line OAB treatment. Increase of patient's motivation to adhere to the prescribed treatment, critical examination of the patient in regard to the initial diagnosis, and individual adjustment of antimuscarinic therapy may be appropriate tools to improve treatment outcome in OAB patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, the incidence of refractory OAB seems to be overestimated. There are several approaches to improve therapy results.