WEDNESDAY, Jan. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Alkalinized lidocaine plus heparin provides significant and immediate relief from the pain and urgency symptoms of interstitial cystitis (IC) for 12 hours after treatment, according to a study published in the January issue of the Journal of Sexual Medicine.
C. Lowell Parsons, M.D., of the University of California in San Diego, and colleagues conducted a multicenter, prospective, double-blind, crossover, placebo-controlled trial of patients with IC. The active drug was 50,000 units of heparin, 200 mg lidocaine hydrochloride, and 420 mg sodium bicarbonate in 15 mL of water. The control drug was 420 mg of sodium bicarbonate in 15 mL of water. A total of 18 subjects completed the trial. Pain and urgency were scored on 11-point scales, and global assessment of response was also measured.
The researchers found that, 12 hours after receiving drug or control, the average percent change in pain score was 42 percent for those receiving the lidocaine-heparin combination versus 21 percent for those receiving the control drug. Global assessment of response was 50 percent for those receiving the lidocaine-heparin combination compared with 13 percent for controls. Finally, urgency was reduced by 35 percent for those receiving the lidocaine-heparin combination compared with 13 percent of those treated with control drug.
"In large part, the study of heparin plus lidocaine was undertaken to develop a medical therapy that could immediately relieve symptoms of IC, because there are such limited options for these patients. The data indicate that these combined medications will effectively and immediately relieve both bladder pain and urgency for up to 12 or more hours and provide significant immediate relief for IC patients," the authors write.
This study was funded by Urigen Pharmaceuticals; three study authors are employees of Urigen.
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