WEDNESDAY, Nov. 15 (HealthDay News) -- A combination of extended-release tolterodine and tamsulosin appears to be safe and effective in treating men with overactive bladder, according to a randomized, industry-funded trial reported in the Nov. 15 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Steven Kaplan, M.D., of Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City, and colleagues studied the safety and efficacy of tolterodine extended release (ER), tamsulosin, or both in 879 men with overactive bladder and benign prostatic hyperplasia. Patients were randomized to placebo, each drug alone, or the combination.
The investigators found that 80 percent of patients randomized to a combination of tolterodine ER plus tamsulosin reported treatment benefit compared with 71 percent receiving tamsulosin alone, 65 percent receiving tolterodine ER alone and 62 receiving placebo. The combination group reported significant reductions in urgency urinary episodes with and without incontinence, micturitions per 24 hours, and micturitions per night.
The authors conclude that men bothered by lower urinary tract symptoms including overactive bladder and who are unresponsive to α-adrenergic receptor antagonists or antimuscarinic agents might benefit from switching to tolterodine ER plus tamsulosin.
The study was funded by Pfizer and some of the authors are employees or have received compensation from the company.
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