OBJECTIVE: To investigate the pattern of use of anticholinergic drugs for overactive bladder among women in Norway with regard to persistence, adherence and switch rates.
DESIGN: Observational study.
SETTING AND SAMPLE: Data from the Norwegian Prescription Database on prescriptions for tolterodine, solifenacin, darifenacin and fesoterodine filled in Norwegian pharmacies from 1 January 2004 to 31 December 2010.
METHODS AND MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Data from the database was analysed at an individual level and drug persistence, discontinuation rates and switch rates during a follow-up period of 365 days after the first prescription were calculated.
RESULTS: Overall one-year persistence for new users was 38.0 %. Within the same period, a total of 10.3 % switched from the index drug to another drug in the same group, whereas 51.7 % discontinued without switching. Users of solifenacin and tolterodine were somewhat more persistent than users of darifenacin and fesoterodine. Persistence was lowest (20.9 %) in the age group 19-39 years, increased with age and was highest in the age groups 70-79 years and 80 years and above (43.4 and 43.2 %, respectively). In total, 31.9 % filled only one prescription of the drug and of these, only 1 of 4 switched to another drug. The proportion who were adherent during treatment was 60.4 %.
CONCLUSIONS: The discontinuation rate for anticholinergic drugs for overactive bladder in women is high. The reasons why patients stop using them remain obscure, but can be related both to a limited clinical effect and an unacceptable adverse effect burden. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Written by:
Mauseth SA, Skurtveit S, Spigset O. Are you the author?
Department of Laboratory Medicine, Children's and Women's Health, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim.
Reference: Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 2013 Jun 13. Epub ahead of print.
doi: 10.1111/aogs.12196
PubMed Abstract
PMID: 23763552
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