Investigational drugs show promise for treating overactive bladder

In a recent study of patients with overactive bladder (OAB), a 30 mg extended release formulation of propiverine hydrochloride was at least as effective and safe as a 4 mg extended release formulation of tolterodine tartrate. Both medications are called antimuscarinic drugs that block certain cell receptors, but propiverine differs from other antimuscarinics because of a dual mode of action.

Propiverine hydrochloride was more effective than tolterodine tartrate in terms of decreasing patients' voiding frequency per 24 hours and their average number of incontinence episodes per 24 hours.

"More than two-thirds of patients reported an improvement of their OAB symptoms after 2 weeks of treatment increasing to 77.8 and 88.9% of patients after 8 weeks of treatment for tolterodine ER 4 mg and propiverine ER 30 mg, respectively," wrote the authors of the BJU International study.