Patient experience with darifenacin – results of a short-term community-based survey in managing overactive bladder

Abstract

Objective:

This community-based program evaluated patients’ experiences with darifenacin over 3 weeks’ treatment in a predominantly primary care clinical practice setting.

Methods:

Physicians (n = 2117, 50% primary care physicians, 35% urologists, 10% obstetrician/gynecologist, 5% other) were asked to introduce the program to patients with overactive bladder (OAB). Patients received an enrollment kit including a 30-day darifenacin voucher, activated if patients registered for the program via telephone or online. Patients (≥18 years of age) completed a brief automated survey to evaluate frequency of urge urinary incontinence episodes (UUIEs), micturitions/24 hours, urge severity/24 hours (10 point scale: 0 = not at all severe; 10 = very severe), and treatment tolerability (10 point scale: 0 = very poorly tolerated; 10 = very well tolerated). Patients also completed a second survey 3 weeks after starting darifenacin. Statistical analyses were not prospectively planned or performed.

Results:

A total of 2165 patients completed both surveys. At baseline, mean age of completers was 66 years, 76% were female, and 47% reported prior use of OAB medications. After 3 weeks’ treatment, patients experienced reductions in UUIEs and micturitions. Urge severity was reduced by >30% after 3 weeks (mean scores: 6.7 at baseline vs. 4.6 after 3 weeks’ treatment) and treatment was well tolerated (mean score: 7.7). Overall, 85% of patients who participated in the program did so due to physician influences.

Conclusions:

The results of this 3-week, self-reported community-based survey indicate that patients were generally satisfied with darifenacin treatment and experienced a reduction in OAB symptoms. Darifenacin was generally well tolerated.

Key words::

• Clinical practice
• Darifenacin
• OAB
• Overactive bladder

Transparency

Declaration of funding

This analysis was supported by Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals now Warner Chilcott Pharmaceuticals Inc., Cincinnati, USA.

Declaration of financial relationships

Lonny Green is a consultant with Boston Scientific and Pfizer. Donna Kerney has no competing financial interests.

Acknowledgments

Editorial support, drafting and revising this manuscript was provided by ACUMED® (Tytherington, UK) and funded by Novartis Pharma AG.