Current pharmacotherapy of overactive bladder

ABSTRACT Overactive bladder is a symptom complex consisting of bothersome storage urinary symptoms that is highly prevalent among both sexes and has a significant impact on quality of life. Various antimuscarinic agents and the beta-3 agonists mirabegron and vibegron are currently available for the treatment of OAB. Each drug has specific pharmacologic properties, dosing schedule and tolerability profile, making it essential to individualize the medical treatment for the patient's characteristics and expectations. In this manuscript, we review the most important factors involved in the contemporary pharmacological treatment of OAB.

Efficacy and tolerability of mirabegron in female patients with overactive bladder symptoms after surgical treatment for stress urinary incontinence

ABSTRACT Purpose To evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of mirabegron in females with overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms after surgical treatment for stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Materials and Methods The study was conducted with a prospective, randomized and double-blinded design. 62 patients over the age of 40 who met the inclusion-exclusion criterias of the study were enrolled and randomly divided into two groups as Group A (mirabegron 50mg) and B (solifenacin 5mg). Patients were compared based on efficacy of treatment [Patient Perception of Bladder Condition (PPBC) scale and micturition diaries], safety of treatment (heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, adverse events), number of micturitions per day, patient's satisfaction status after treatment [Visual Analog Scale(VAS)] and quality of life. Results The mean age of the population was 48.2±3.8 years and the duration of OAB symptoms was 5.9±2.9 months. Baseline values for the mean number of micturitions, volume voided in each micturition, nocturia episodes, urgency and urgency incontinence episodes were 15.3±0.34, 128±3.88mL, 3.96±1.67, 5.72±1.35 and 4.22±0.69, respectively. After treatment, values for these parameters were 11.7±0.29, 164.7±2.9mL, 2.25±0.6, 3.38±0.71, 2.31±0.49 respectively. Quality of life score, symptom bother score, VAS for treatment satisfaction score, PPBC score after treatment were 66.1±0.85, 43.7±0.77, 4.78±0.14, 4.78±0.14, respectively. There were no significant differences between two groups on any parameter. However, mirabegron showed better tolerability than solifenacin, particularly after 6 months. Conclusion Mirabegron is safe, effective and tolerable in the long-term treatment of females with OAB symptoms after surgery for stress urinary incontinence.

Overactive bladder - 18 years - Part II

ABSTRACT Traditionally, the treatment of overactive bladder syndrome has been based on the use of oral medications with the purpose of reestablishing the detrusor stability. The recent better understanding of the urothelial physiology fostered conceptual changes, and the oral anticholinergics – pillars of the overactive bladder pharmacotherapy – started to be not only recognized for their properties of inhibiting the detrusor contractile activity, but also their action on the bladder afference, and therefore, on the reduction of the symptoms that constitute the syndrome. Beta-adrenergic agonists, which were recently added to the list of drugs for the treatment of overactive bladder, still wait for a definitive positioning – as either a second-line therapy or an adjuvant to oral anticholinergics. Conservative treatment failure, whether due to unsatisfactory results or the presence of adverse side effects, define it as refractory overactive bladder. In this context, the intravesical injection of botulinum toxin type A emerged as an effective option for the existing gap between the primary measures and more complex procedures such as bladder augmentation. Sacral neuromodulation, described three decades ago, had its indication reinforced in this overactive bladder era. Likewise, the electric stimulation of the tibial nerve is now a minimally invasive alternative to treat those with refractory overactive bladder. The results of the systematic literature review on the oral pharmacological treatment and the treatment of refractory overactive bladder gave rise to this second part of the review article Overactive Bladder – 18 years, prepared during the 1st Latin-American Consultation on Overactive Bladder.

Future directions in overactive bladder treatment: Personalized medicine can be applied?

No abstract available.

Drug therapy of overactive bladder - What is coming next?

After the approval and introduction of mirabegron, tadalafil, and botulinum toxin A for treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms/overactive bladder, focus of interest has been on their place in therapy versus the previous gold standard, antimuscarinics. However, since these agents also have limitations there has been increasing interest in what is coming next - what is in the pipeline? Despite progress in our knowledge of different factors involved in both peripheral and central modulation of lower urinary tract dysfunction, there are few innovations in the pipe-line. Most developments concern modifications of existing principles (antimuscarinics, beta3-receptor agonists, botulinum toxin A). However, there are several new and old targets/drugs of potential interest for further development, such as the purinergic and cannabinoid systems and the different members of the transient receptor potential channel family. However, even if there seems to be good rationale for further development of these principles, further exploration of their involvement in lower urinary tract function/dysfunction is necessary.