• Adrian Wagg, Jean-Jacque Wyndaele, and Paul Sieber.
• Department of Geriatric Medicine, Royal Free and University College School of Medicine, London, United Kingdom. a.wagg@ucl.ac.uk
• Am J Geriatr Pharmacother. 2006 Mar 1;4(1):14-24.

BackgroundOveractive bladder (OAB) syndrome is characterized by urinary frequency and urgency with or without urge incontinence, and often accompanied by nocturia. The prevalence of OAB increases with aging; it is a particularly common condition among the elderly, affecting at least 25% of people aged > or = 65 years.ObjectiveThe goal of this study was to assess the efficacy and tolerability of solifenacin 5 and 10 mg once daily for treating elderly subjects with OAB.MethodsThis was a retrospective analysis of pooled data from 4 studies. Data were analyzed from elderly subjects (aged > or = 65 years) with OAB who were treated with solifenacin in four 12-week, double-blind, Phase III, international, multicenter, randomized, parallel-group, fixed-dose, placebo-controlled studies and from elderly subjects who received solifenacin in a 40-week, open-label, flexible-dose extension trial that enrolled subjects who completed 2 of the double-blind studies. Micturition data were collected from diaries completed during the 3 days before each study visit. Efficacy end points included mean change from baseline for the number of incontinence episodes/24 hours, urgency episodes/24 hours, number of micturitions/24 hours, and volume voided/micturition. The proportion of subjects who became continent or had no urgency episodes at end point was also evaluated.ResultsThe mean age of the subjects in the 12-week, double-blind studies (N = 1045; 781 women, 264 men) was 71.9 years; mean age in the 40-week extension trial (N = 509; 359 women, 150 men) was 71.2 years. The majority of subjects (74.7% in the 12-week, double-blind studies and 70.5% in the 40-week extension trial) were female, and >90% of the elderly subjects were white. The duration of OAB ranged from 0 to 66 months, and 43.7% had received previous medical therapy for OAB. The completion rate for elderly subjects was 85.5% for the 12-week, double-blind studies and 80.0% for the 40-week extension trial. Efficacy end points at week 12 of double-blind treatment demonstrated statistically significant improvements in the symptoms of OAB with solifenacin compared with placebo. Mean (SE) changes in number of incontinence episodes/24 hours were -1.5 (0.17) for the 5-mg dose and -1.9 (0.14) for the 10-mg dose compared with -1.0 (0.14) for placebo (P = 0.013 for the 5-mg dose and P < 0.001 for the 10-mg dose, vs placebo); mean (SE) changes in the number of urgency episodes/24 hours were -3.2 (0.27) for the 5-mg dose and -3.2 (0.19) for the 10-mg dose compared with -1.6 (0.18) for placebo (P < 0.001 for both doses vs placebo); mean (SE) changes in the number of micturitions/24 hours were -2.0 (0.17) for the 5-mg dose and -2.5 (0.13) for the 10-mg dose compared with -1.1 (0.13) for placebo (P < 0.001 for both doses vs placebo); mean (SE) changes in the volume voided/micturition were 30.2 (3.24) mL for the 5-mg dose and 46.2 (2.55) mL for the 10-mg dose, compared with 9.1 (2.39) mL for placebo (P < 0.001 for both doses vs placebo). The proportion of subjects with restoration of continence was 49.1% and 47.3% of the 5- and 10-mg treatment groups, respectively, compared with 28.9% of the placebo group (P < 0.001 for both doses vs placebo). The proportion of subjects with resolution of urgency was 34.6% and 24.9% for the 5- and 10-mg treatment groups, respectively, compared with 16.9% of the placebo group (P < 0.001 for the 5-mg dose and P < 0.01 for the 10-mg dose). Improvements in incontinence, urgency, and micturitions were maintained during the 40-week extension trial. The most common adverse events in both the double-blind and extension trials were dry mouth, constipation, and urinary tract infection. Most adverse events were mild to moderate in nature and did not result in treatment discontinuation.ConclusionsIn these pooled analyses, solifenacin 5 and 10 mg once daily were efficacious and well tolerated in the treatment of these elderly subjects with OAB. Solifenacin therapy was also associated with a high level of persistence in a 40-week extension trial.

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