Efficacy and safety of extended-release oxybutynin in combination with tamsulosin for treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms in men: randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study

Therapeutic effect of α-blockers and antimuscarinics in male lower urinary tract symptoms based on the International Prostate Symptom Score subscore ratio

AIMS

To investigate if the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) voiding-to-storage subscore ratio (IPSS-V/S) can help to guide the treatment for male lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS).

METHODS

Men aged 40 years or older with a total IPSS (IPSS-T) 8 or more were constitutively enrolled from January 2010 to December 2010. The IPSS voiding (IPSS-V) and storage subscore (IPSS-S) were recorded separately, and the IPSS-V/S was calculated. Patients were divided into two groups according to the baseline IPSS-V/S value. First-line doxazosin (4 mg per day) and tolterodine (4 mg per day) monotherapy were given to patients with IPSS-V/S > 1 and IPSS-V/S ≤ 1, respectively. The IPSS-T, IPSS-V, IPSS-S, quality of life (QoL), maximum flow rate (Qmax), voided volume and postvoid residual (PVR) were measured at 1 month (visit 1) and 3 months (visit 2) after treatment.

RESULTS

After medical treatment for 1 month, 89/116 (76.7%) patients receiving tolterodine and 218/279 (78.1%) patients receiving doxazosin reported an improved outcome (global response assessment, GRA ≥ 1 point). The mean IPSS-T, IPSS-S decreased, and QoL improved significantly in both groups. Significant increased Qmax, voided volume, decreased IPSS-V and PVR were noted only in patients receiving doxazosin. There was no significant increase of PVR (from 50.1 to 60.4 ml, p = 0.106), and no patient developed urinary retention after tolterodinie monotherapy for 1 month. However, patients aged more than 70 years had significant association with increased PVR (≥ 50 ml).

CONCLUSION

Initial treatment with doxazosin for patients with IPSS-V/S > 1 and tolterodine for patients with IPSS-V/S ≤ 1 is safe and feasible. Elderly people (≥ 70 years) and patients with Qmax < 10 ml/s are more likely to have increased PVR (≥ 50 ml).

Systematic review of therapy for men with overactive bladder

Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) can have multiple causes in men. Overactive bladder (OAB) is an empirical diagnosis used as the basis for initial management after assessing symptoms, physical findings, urinalysis and other indicated evaluations. In men, the diagnosis is complicated by the potential of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), which is a histological diagnosis. Although storage symptoms (i.e., those associated with OAB) are the most bothersome group of LUTS in men with BPH, these patients are usually treated with BPH rather than OAB drugs. The standard pharmacologic treatment of patients with bothersome voiding and storage LUTS at low risk of progression should be an α1-AR antagonist. The combination α1-AR antagonist + antimuscarinic agent is an appropriate and valid option for male patients with voiding symptoms and persistent storage symptoms.

Add-on fesoterodine for residual storage symptoms suggestive of overactive bladder in men receiving α-blocker treatment for lower urinary tract symptoms

Study Type - Therapy (RCT) Level of Evidence 1b What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? Male lower urinary tract symptoms are often attributed to bladder outlet obstruction secondary to benign prostatic hyperplasia and treated with drugs targeting the prostate. However, many men with storage lower urinary tract symptoms may not respond adequately to these agents. Antimuscarinics, with or without an α-blocker, may be effective for the treatment of the storage symptoms of overactive bladder in some men. Flexible-dose fesoterodine as an add-on treatment significantly improved urinary frequency and symptom bother, but not urgency episodes (primary endpoint), versus add-on placebo and was well tolerated in men with persistent overactive bladder symptoms despite receiving α-blocker.

OBJECTIVE

• To evaluate flexible-dose fesoterodine vs placebo in men with persistent overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms despite receiving α-blocker treatment

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

• This was a double-blind, 12-week, flexible-dose trial. • Men with persistent storage symptoms (≥ 8 micturitions and ≥ 3 urgency episodes per 24 h) after receiving an α-blocker for ≥ 6 weeks were randomized to add-on fesoterodine 4 mg or placebo, with optional dose escalation to 8 mg at week 4 and reduction back to 4 mg at week 8 (or matching placebo adjustments). • Subjects completed 3-day diaries, International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), Overactive Bladder Questionnaire (OAB-q), Patient Perception of Bladder Condition (PPBC), and Urgency Perception Scale (UPS) at baseline and weeks 4 and 12.

RESULTS

• A total of 943 men were randomized and received at least one dose of study treatment (fesoterodine, n= 471; placebo, n= 472). • Among these, 251 (53%) in the fesoterodine group and 300 (64%) in the placebo group requested dose escalation at week 4 and 35 (7%) and 15 (3%) requested dose reduction at week 8. Changes from baseline to week 12 in urgency episodes (primary endpoint) in the fesoterodine (-3.2) and placebo (-2.9) groups were not significantly different (P= 0.196), but improvements in micturitions (P= 0.009) and OAB-q symptom bother score (P= 0.007) were significantly greater with fesoterodine. • At week 4, significantly greater improvements in micturitions (P= 0.006), severe urgency episodes (P= 0.006), IPSS storage score (P= 0.022), OAB-q symptom bother score (P= 0.004), and OAB-q health-related quality of life (P= 0.041), but not urgency episodes (P= 0.062), were observed with add-on fesoterodine. • Dry mouth (fesoterodine, 21%; placebo, 6%) and constipation (fesoterodine, 6%; placebo, 2%) were the most common adverse events. Dysuria and urinary retention were reported by 3% and 2% of subjects, respectively, in the fesoterodine add-on group vs 1% and <1% of subjects, respectively in the placebo add-on group. One subject in each group had acute urinary retention requiring catheterization.

CONCLUSIONS

• Flexible-dose fesoterodine was well tolerated as an add-on treatment in men with persistent storage symptoms. • Changes in urgency episodes at week 12 (primary endpoint) and many secondary endpoints were not significantly different between fesoterodine and placebo add-on treatment; however, improvements in frequency and symptom bother were significantly greater with fesoterodine. • These data suggest that there remains a limited understanding of the optimal evaluation and treatment of men with LUTS.

Overactive bladder and outlet obstruction in men

Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), overactive bladder, (OAB), and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) are very commonly experienced in men. The mainstay of pharmacotherapy for OAB is the antimuscarinic class of drugs. There has been reluctance to prescribe these agents to men with BPH due to the risk of precipitating urinary retention. Several trials have supported the efficacy and safety of antimuscarinics in treating men with LUTS, alone, or in combination with α-blocker therapy. The combination of 5-α-reductase inhibitors with antimuscarinic agents or surgery are other effective treatments for men with BPH and OAB.

Persistence and adherence in the treatment of overactive bladder syndrome with anticholinergic therapy: a systematic review of the literature

Overactive bladder syndrome (OAB) is a chronic condition that has an impact on patients' daily activities and health-related quality of life (HRQL). Anticholinergic therapy is often prescribed following insufficient results with behaviour modification alone; however, rates of treatment discontinuation are consistently high. This study systematically reviewed persistence and adherence data in patients with OAB treated with anticholinergic therapy. A search focused on the intersection of OAB, persistence/adherence, and anticholinergic therapy was conducted in MEDLINE and EMBASE. Articles published after 1998 were reviewed and selected for inclusion based on prespecified criteria. A total of 147 articles and two abstracts were included in the review. Results from 12-week clinical trials showed high rates of discontinuation, ranging from 4% to 31% and 5% to 20% in treatment and placebo groups, respectively. Unsurprisingly, rates of discontinuation found in medical claims studies were substantially higher, with 43% to 83% of patients discontinuing medication within the first 30 days and rates continuing to rise over time. Findings from medical claims studies also suggest that over half of patients never refill their initial prescription and that adherence levels tend to be low, with mean/median medication possession ratio (MPR) values ranging from 0.30 to 0.83. The low levels of persistence and adherence documented in this review reveal cause for concern about the balance between the efficacy and tolerability of anticholinergic agents. Strategies should be identified to increase persistence and adherence. New agents and non-pharmacologic alternatives with good efficacy and minimal side effects should be explored.

The role of antimuscarinics in the management of men with symptoms of overactive bladder associated with concomitant bladder outlet obstruction: an update

CONTEXT

This review focuses on the contemporary role of antimuscarinics in the management of men with symptoms of bladder outlet obstruction (BOO) and concomitant overactive bladder (OAB). Safety issues of antimuscarinics in this subpopulation of men are also reviewed.

OBJECTIVE

We reviewed the current literature and performed an analysis of the efficacy, suitability, and the safety of antimuscarinics in this subpopulation of men.

EVIDENCE ACQUISITION

We performed a systematic search of Medline/PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews for relevant articles published between 1990 and September 2010, restricted to studies in humans published in English. In addition, published abstracts presented at the annual meetings of the European Association of Urology, the American Urological Association, and the International Continence Society in the last decade (2000-2010) were hand-searched and evaluated. Each article's title and abstract were reviewed for their appropriateness and relevance to the use of antimuscarinics in patients with BOO and concomitant OAB. Relevant articles were fully reviewed and included in the final data acquisition.

EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS

Treatment options include combination treatment with α-blockers and antimuscarinics, sequential use of α-blockers and antimuscarinics, monotherapy with antimuscarinics, and a combination of antimuscarinics and 5α-reductase inhibitors. The sequential use of α-blockers and antimuscarinics seems to be the most appropriate approach, and the use of antimuscarinics and α-blockers appears generally to be safe and efficacious. Data are insufficient for a possible stratification of patients for a specific sequence of the drugs reviewed.

CONCLUSIONS

This review infers that the existing data confirm the safety of antimuscarinics administered for the treatment of these patients. The efficacy of antimuscarinics has been proven in different trials regarding different storage symptom end points, but not all end points regarding OAB reached significance. All the reported trials are of short duration (4-12 wk) and include only men with low postvoid residual urine volumes at baseline (<200ml). Overall, the addition of an antimuscarinic to the treatment of a patient with BOO and concomitant OAB seems to offer an amelioration of the symptoms and a moderate improvement in quality of life.

Antimuscarinics for treatment of storage lower urinary tract symptoms in men: a systematic review

Despite potential benefits, primary care clinicians may avoid using antimuscarinics in men with overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms because of safety concerns. To review the efficacy and safety of antimuscarinics, alone or in combination with an α-blocker, for the treatment of men with OAB symptoms, we conducted a systematic review of articles published before 22 July 2010, using PubMed. Data from 12-week, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials of tolterodine extended release (ER), oxybutynin and solifenacin show that combined antimuscarinic+α-blocker treatment is generally more effective than monotherapy or placebo in men with OAB symptoms. The efficacy and safety of tolterodine ER+α-blocker treatment was not affected by prostate size or prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level. In men meeting entry criteria for OAB and benign prostatic obstruction trials, tolterodine ER alone was effective selectively in men with prostate size or PSA level below study medians. Incidence of acute urinary retention (AUR) in men receiving antimuscarinics with or without an α-blocker was ≤3% in all of these trials; changes in postvoid residual volume and maximum flow rate did not appear clinically meaningful. Post hoc analyses from double-blind, placebo-controlled trials and prospective studies of fesoterodine, oxybutynin, propiverine, solifenacin and tolterodine also suggest that antimuscarinics are generally safe and efficacious in men. A retrospective database study found that risk of AUR in men was the highest in the first month of treatment and decreased considerably thereafter. Antimuscarinics, alone or with an α-blocker, appear to be efficacious and safe in many men with predominant OAB symptoms or persistent OAB symptoms despite α-blocker or 5-α-reductase inhibitor treatment. However, antimuscarinics are not approved for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia. Monitoring men for AUR is recommended, especially those at increased risk, and particularly within 30 days after starting antimuscarinic treatment.

Efficacy of propiverine ER with or without α-blockers related to maximum urinary flow rate in adult men with OAB: results of a 12-week, multicenter, non-interventional study

Purpose

Comparison of efficacy of propiverine extended release (ER) 30 mg o.d. in the treatment of male OAB administered as monotherapy (MT) or add-on to α-blockers (combination treatment, CT) in relation to maximum urinary flow (Q_max) in a non-interventional study.

Methods

Men ≥40 years with OAB symptoms, Q_max ≥10 ml/s, prostate volume <40 ml, post-void residuals (PVR) <100 ml, and IPSS <20 were included. OAB symptoms, IPSS, and PVR were recorded before and after 12 weeks of treatment. Participants were stratified by Q_max (group A ≥15 ml/s, group B <15 ml/s) and CT vs. MT. Safety parameters were monitored.

Results

A total of 2,219 men participated and were involved in safety analysis; 1,849 men (mean age 66 years) fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were involved in efficacy analysis. In group A, 291 men received MT and 479 CT; in group B, 184 men received MT and 895 CT. OAB symptoms improved significantly in all groups throughout the study without differences between MT and CT. IPSS improvement in group B was less with MT than with CT (−3.9 vs. −5.2; P < 0.001), whereas IPSS improvement was similar in group A (−4.6 vs. −5.1). Mean PVR change was not clinically relevant, but two men (0.1%) experienced urinary retention.

Conclusions

Under real-life conditions, treatment of OAB symptoms with propiverine ER is equally effective in men with MT or CT regardless of baseline Q_max. In men with reduced Q_max, IPSS improvement is significantly smaller with MT. The incidence of urinary retention during propiverine ER treatment is low.

Antimuscarinics and bladder outlet obstruction: From a contraindication to an indication?

AIM

To review if the existing data support the new concept that antimuscarinic agents can be used for the treatment of bladder outlet obstruction (BOO) with coexisting overactive bladder (OAB).

METHOD

A literature search of Medline publications (up to 2008) on use of antimuscarinic agents for treatment BOO was performed and all data were presented. All relevant data from published studies in congress abstracts were as well included.

RESULTS

The existing data show that this treatment effectively improves patient quality of life. Concerns about the possibility of urinary retention were shown to be unfounded. It seems that antimuscarinic agents do not affect voiding pressures and the use of antimuscarinic agents for BOO seems safe.

CONCLUSIONS

The combination of an alpha-blocker and antimuscarinic agent for the treatment of BOO with concomitant OAB seems promising.

Efficacy and tolerability of fesoterodine in men with overactive bladder: a pooled analysis of 2 phase III studies

OBJECTIVES

To assess the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of fesoterodine 4 and 8 mg in men with overactive bladder.

METHODS

This was a subanalysis of pooled data from 358 men enrolled in 2 double-blind, placebo-controlled phase III trials. Subjects with frequency and urgency or urgency urinary incontinence (UUI) were randomized to fesoterodine 4 mg, fesoterodine 8 mg, or placebo for 12 weeks. Efficacy endpoints included bladder diary variables and subject-reported treatment response.

RESULTS

By week 12, men treated with fesoterodine 4 or 8 mg had significantly greater median percentage improvements in micturition frequency, urgency episodes, and UUI episodes versus placebo and significantly greater percentages reported a treatment response versus placebo. Significant increases in mean voided volume (MVV) per micturition versus placebo occurred with fesoterodine 8 mg only. At week 12, fesoterodine 8 mg was significantly more efficacious than fesoterodine 4 mg in improving UUI episodes and MVV per micturition. The most commonly reported adverse events with fesoterodine 4 and 8 mg were dry mouth (12.5% and 37.7% vs 5.6% with placebo) and constipation (2.5% and 8.8% vs 0.8% with placebo). Symptoms suggestive of urinary retention were reported in 0.8%, 0.8%, and 5.3% of men in the placebo, fesoterodine 4 mg, and fesoterodine 8 mg groups, respectively; only 1 subject, in the fesoterodine 8 mg group, was catheterized.

CONCLUSIONS

Fesoterodine 4 and 8 mg are generally safe, efficacious, and well tolerated for the treatment of overactive bladder symptoms in men. The 8 mg dose provides additional benefit and allows for treatment individualization.

Prevalence, severity, and symptom bother of lower urinary tract symptoms among men in the EPIC study: impact of overactive bladder

BACKGROUND

Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) are prevalent among men.

OBJECTIVE

To describe the prevalence, severity, and symptom bother of LUTS in all men and men with overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms in the EPIC study.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

A secondary analysis of data from EPIC, a multinational population-based survey of 19,165 adults, was performed. Current International Continence Society definitions were used for individual LUTS and OAB; OAB cases were defined as men reporting urgency.

MEASUREMENTS

Participants were asked about the presence of individual LUTS and associated symptom bother. LUTS severity was measured using the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS).

RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS

There was substantial overlap of storage, voiding, and postmicturition symptoms among all men (n=7210) and in men with OAB symptoms (n=502); men with OAB symptoms were more likely to experience multiple LUTS subtypes. Among both populations, nocturia was the most commonly reported symptom, except for urgency (the hallmark symptom) among men with OAB symptoms; terminal dribble and sensation of incomplete emptying were the most common voiding and postmicturition symptoms. The prevalence of all LUTS increased with age among the general population; only storage LUTS increased with age among men with OAB symptoms. Number of LUTS and mean IPSS increased with age in both populations but were higher among men with OAB symptoms at all ages; the proportion reporting moderate-severe LUTS was higher than the general population (30% vs 6%). The proportion of men with OAB symptoms reporting symptom bother increased with urgency severity and severity and number of LUTS. LUTS severity may have been underestimated by the IPSS, which does not assess incontinence.

CONCLUSIONS

Men with LUTS commonly experience coexisting storage, voiding, and postmicturition symptoms, emphasizing the need for comprehensive urologic assessments. Men with OAB symptoms reported more LUTS and greater severity than the general population. Symptom bother was related to number of LUTS and urgency severity.

Should an antimuscarinic agent be used for persistent LUTS after treatment with an alpha(1)-blocker?

This Practice Point discusses the study by MacDiarmid and colleagues, which is the latest to support a beneficial effect of adding antimuscarinic agents to alpha(1)-blockers in men with persistent lower urinary tract symptoms. Such studies have also alleviated concerns about the adverse effects of antimuscarinic agents, particularly the risk of developing urinary retention. In practice, however, some issues regarding the use of antimuscarinic agents in this patient population remain. First, persistent storage symptoms are suggestive of other pathologies, and this possibility must be carefully evaluated before combined treatment is initiated. Second, postvoid residual urine volume should be repeatedly monitored during antimuscarinic therapy to avoid sequelae of residual urine or urinary retention. Third, the effect of adding an antimuscarinic agent is statistically significant, but might not be clinically significant for the majority of men. Better evaluation of storage symptoms might facilitate the more-appropriate use of combined treatment in this setting.