title: Efficacy and safety of solifenacin succinate 10 mg once Daily: A multicenter, phase III, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial in patients with overactive bladder.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Solifenacin succinate is an antimuscarinic drug with reported efficacy and tolerability at a recommended starting dose of 5 mg QD in patients with overactive bladder (OAB).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this trial was to investigate the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of solifenacin 10 mg QD in patients with OAB.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this multicenter, Phase III, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial, patients aged ≥18 years with OAB were randomized at a 1:1 ratio to receive solifenacin 10 mg or placebo QD for 12 weeks. The patients were instructed to complete a micturition diary for the 3 days preceding each scheduled visit (weeks 4, 8, and 12). The primary end point was the change from baseline in the mean number of micturitions per 24 hours; secondary end points included the mean change from baseline in the number of episodes per 24 hours of urgency, incontinence, nocturnal voiding, and nocturia and the mean volume voided per micturition. Tolerability was monitored through adverse events (AEs), vital sign measurements, ECGs, laboratory assessments, and physical examination.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 672 patients were randomized and received ≥1 dose of study drug (solifenacin, n = 340; placebo, n = 332). The mean (SE) decrease from baseline to study end in the number of micturitions per 24 hours was significantly greater in the solifenacin group compared with the placebo group (-3.0 [0.2] vs -1.5 [0.2], respectively; P < 0.001). The mean decrease in the number of episodes of incontinence was significantly greater in the solifenacin group compared with the placebo group (-2.0 [0.2] vs -1.1 [0.2]; P < 0.001), as was the mean decrease in the number of episodes of urgency (-4.1 [0.2] vs -2.1 [0.2]; P < 0.001). Of the patients with ≥1 incontinence episode per 24 hours at baseline, significantly more patients in the solifenacin group achieved complete continence at study end than did patients in the placebo group (119/225 [52.9%] vs 80/237 [33.8%]; P < 0.001). The change from baseline to study end in the mean volume voided per micturition increased significantly in the solifenacin group compared with the placebo group (47.2 vs 2.7 mL; P < 0.001). Most AEs were mild or moderate in intensity. The AEs that were most commonly reported in the solifenacin-treated group were anticholinergic in nature: dry mouth (91 [26.8%] vs 13 patients [3.9%] in the placebo group; P < 0.001); constipation (58 [17.1%] vs 11 [3.3%]; P < 0.001); and blurred vision (12 [3.5%] vs 4 [1.2%]; P < 0.05). Serious AEs (SAEs) were reported for 5 patients in the solifenacin group and 3 patients in the placebo group. In the solifenacin group, 2 patients experienced chest pain, 1 had cellulitis, 1 had dehydration, and 1 had colonic obstruction; only 1 SAE (colonic obstruction) was judged to be possibly related to the study drug. In the placebo group, 1 patient had chest pain, 1 had bacterial meningitis, and 1 had hemopericardium.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study found that solifenacin 10 mg QD for 12 weeks was associated with significantly reduced symptoms of OAB, including the frequency of micturition, and episodes of urgency and of incontinence. With solifenacin, the volume voided per micturition increased by 47.2 mL, and 53% of patients with ≥1 incontinence episode per 24 hours at baseline achieved complete continence. This efficacy was accompanied by a favorable safety and tolerability profile.
authors.affiliation: San Bernardino Urological Associates, San Bernardino, California.
authors.forename: Franklin
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.affiliation: Takeda, Deerfield, Illinois.
authors.forename: Neila
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: Astellas Pharma Inc., Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Uchida
keywords: anticholinergic; incontinence; overactive bladder; solifenacin; urgency