Elderly patients suffering from overactive bladder can significantly and safely reduce the symptoms of their condition by taking a once-a-day, extended-release formulation of oxybutynin chloride (Ditropan XL®), according to a study conducted by the Cleveland Clinic Foundation scheduled for presentation at the 2000 Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Geriatrics Society.

In the study, 40 percent of patients age 65 and older taking extended-release oxybutynin reported no incontinence episodes, while the average reduction in the weekly number of incontinence episodes for the elderly patients in the study was 82 percent.

"We found that elderly patients not only benefit by significantly reducing or eliminating their incontinence episodes when taking the extended-release formulation of oxybutynin, they also can do so safely and tolerate the drug very well. This is good news for this patient population, which frequently must deal with taking multiple medications and experiencing worrisome side effects," said Rodney Appell, M.D., study author and head, Section of Voiding Dysfunction and Female Urology at the Cleveland Clinic Urological Institute.

Overactive bladder is a common and chronic condition that affects an estimated 17 million Americans. The condition is characterized by urge urinary incontinence (sudden and involuntary loss of bladder control resulting in wetting accidents), urgency (the urgent need to empty the bladder) and frequency (frequent urination). Ditropan XL is the first and only once-a-day treatment for overactive bladder approved by the FDA and is marketed by ALZA Corporation and UCB Pharma.

For the study, investigators analyzed three clinical trials comparing different doses of extended-release and immediate-release oxybutynin in 159 patients older than 65 and in 261 patients age 18 to 65. All of the 420 patients suffered from overactive bladder.

During the clinical trials, researchers adjusted the
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Contact: Jim Armstrong, Cleveland Clinic
216-444-9455
Porter Novelli
19-May-2000