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Stress urinary incontinence drug's benefits do not outweigh harms

Date:
November 14, 2016
Source:
Canadian Medical Association Journal
Summary:
A new study indicates that the benefits of duloxetine, a drug used in Europe to treat stress incontinence in women, do not outweigh the harms.
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FULL STORY

A new study indicates that the benefits of duloxetine, a drug used in Europe to treat stress incontinence in women, do not outweigh the harms. The article is published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal)

Duloxetine, a drug approved in Canada, the US and Europe to treat major depression, is approved in Europe to treat stress urinary incontinence -- involuntary leakage of urine during exertion, sneezing or coughing -- that affects an estimated 1 in 10 women.

The US Food and Drug Administration has noted a higher-than-expected rate of suicide attempts in open-label extensions of controlled trials of duloxetine for stress urinary incontinence.

Researchers from the Nordic Cochrane Centre, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark, looked at clinical study reports from the European Medicines Agency to assess the benefits and harms of using this drug for stress urinary incontinence. Although they found that duloxetine did lessen the frequency of incontinence, they also observed adverse effects associated with the drug. Harms potentially related to suicidality and violence were 4-5 times more common with duloxetine than with a placebo.

"Given the uncertainty as to whether duloxetine leads to clinically significant improvement in quality of life ... we question the rationale for using duloxetine for stress urinary incontinence," writes Emma Maund, lead author and researcher at the Nordic Cochrane Centre, with coauthors.


Story Source:

Materials provided by Canadian Medical Association Journal. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. E. Maund, L. Schow Guski, P. C. Gotzsche. Considering benefits and harms of duloxetine for treatment of stress urinary incontinence: a meta-analysis of clinical study reports. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 2016; DOI: 10.1503/cmaj.151104

Cite This Page:

Canadian Medical Association Journal. "Stress urinary incontinence drug's benefits do not outweigh harms." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 14 November 2016. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/11/161114143756.htm>.
Canadian Medical Association Journal. (2016, November 14). Stress urinary incontinence drug's benefits do not outweigh harms. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 29, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/11/161114143756.htm
Canadian Medical Association Journal. "Stress urinary incontinence drug's benefits do not outweigh harms." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/11/161114143756.htm (accessed March 29, 2024).

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