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Jeffrey Frankel,1 David Staskin,2 Susann Varano,3 Michael J Kennelly,4 Rachael A Jankowich,5 Cornelia Haag-Molkenteller5 1Seattle Urology Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA; 2Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA; 3Clinical Research Consulting, Milford, CT, USA; 4Carolinas Medical Center, Charlotte, NC, USA; 5Urovant Sciences, Irvine, CA, USACorrespondence: Jeffrey Frankel, PO Box 1192, Mercer Island, WA 98040, USA, Tel +1 206 972 2775, Email jmfrankel@comcast.netAbstract: Pharmacologic treatment for overactive bladder (OAB), which is characterized by bothersome symptoms such as urgency and urge urinary incontinence (UUI), includes anticholinergics and β3-adrenergic receptor agonists. Anticholinergics are associated with adverse effects including dry mouth, constipation, cognitive impairment, and increased risk of dementia. Therefore, the drug class of β3-adrenergic receptor agonists may represent an effective, safe treatment option. Vibegron, a β3-adrenergic receptor agonist, was approved for use in Japan (2018) and the United States (2020). Over the past 3 years, 2 phase 3 trials (EMPOWUR, EMPOWUR extension) have been conducted with once-daily vibegron 75 mg for the treatment of OAB, and additional secondary and subgroup analyses have detailed the efficacy and safety of vibegron. In the international phase 3 EMPOWUR trial, treatment with vibegron was associated with significant improvements compared with placebo in efficacy outcomes of micturition frequency, UUI episodes, urgency episodes, and volume voided as early as week 2 that were sustained throughout the 12-week trial. The 40-week EMPOWUR extension study, following the 12-week treatment period, demonstrated sustained efficacy in patients receiving vibegron for 52 weeks. Treatment with vibegron was also associated with improvements in patient-reported measures of quality of life. Across studies, vibegron was generally safe and well tolerated. A separate, dedicated ambulatory blood pressure monitoring study showed that treatment with vibegron was not associated with clinically meaningful effects on blood pressure or heart rate. Across all studies, vibegron was efficacious, safe, and well tolerated and thus represents a valuable treatment option for patients with OAB. Here, nearly 1 year after US approval, we review the published data on efficacy and safety of vibegron 75 mg for the treatment of OAB.Keywords: adrenergic agonist, β-adrenergic receptor, urinary bladder overactive, urinary incontinence, vibegron

- Experimental models to represent the surgical methods of bladder transection in humans were performed on dogs and rabbits. The effects on vesical neurophysiology were studied by cystometry with bethanechoI supersensitivity testing; by in vitropharmacoIogicaI responsiveness; by determination of autonomic receptor densities using radio-ligand binding and by autonomic neurohistochemical staining. Analysis revealed that transection with or without neurovascular preservation resulted in an alpha-adrenergic denervation and cholinergic decentralization. A comparison with the surgical models is presented and proposed mechanisms of action are discussed in relation to the experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Vibegron is a selective β 3 -adrenergic receptor agonist that was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in December 2020 for the treatment of overactive bladder in adults. This retrospective study assessed US pharmacy claims data to evaluate the real-world adherence and persistence of vibegron compared with mirabegron and with anticholinergics., Materials and Methods: This analysis used the Optum Research Database to identify adults with ≥1 pharmacy claim for vibegron, mirabegron, or an anticholinergic from April 1, 2021, to August 31, 2022. Patients had ≥ 90 days of continuous commercial or Medicare medical and pharmacy coverage preindex and ≥ 60 days of continuous pharmacy coverage postindex. Two independent propensity-score models matched patients treated with (1) vibegron versus mirabegron and (2) vibegron versus anticholinergics on key variables such as demographics and clinical characteristics, index copay, days' supply, and time of entry into analysis (index quarter). Adherence was measured by proportion of days covered (PDC) from index to the end of follow-up and was defined as PDC ≥ 80%. Persistence was defined as days to discontinuation of index medication (first 30-day gap) or end of follow-up., Results: The matched vibegron and mirabegron cohorts included 4921 and 9842 patients, respectively, and the matched vibegron and anticholinergic cohorts included 4676 and 9352 patients, respectively. Patients receiving vibegron had greater mean PDC versus patients receiving mirabegron (0.67 vs. 0.64, respectively; p < 0.001) or anticholinergics (0.67 vs. 0.58; p < 0.001). A greater percentage of patients receiving vibegron were adherent versus those receiving mirabegron (49.0% vs. 45.1%, respectively; p < 0.001) or anticholinergics (49.1% vs. 38.5%; p < 0.001). Persistence was longer with vibegron compared with both mirabegron (median [95% CI], 171 [159-182] vs. 128 [122-137] days, respectively; p < 0.001) and anticholinergics (172 [159-183] vs. 91 [91] days; p < 0.001)., Conclusion: In this retrospective analysis of pharmacy claims data, patients receiving vibegron exhibited significantly higher adherence and demonstrated longer persistence in comparison to matched patient cohorts receiving either mirabegron or anticholinergics., (© 2024 The Authors. Neurourology and Urodynamics published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Purpose: The efficacy and safety of vibegron, a β 3 -adrenergic receptor agonist, was assessed among men with symptoms of overactive bladder (OAB) receiving pharmacologic treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in a phase 3 randomized controlled trial., Materials and Methods: Men ≥ 45 years with OAB symptoms and BPH, treated with α-blocker with/without 5α-reductase inhibitors, were randomized 1:1 to vibegron or placebo for 24 weeks. Coprimary end points were change from baseline at week 12 in mean daily micturitions and urgency episodes. Secondary end points were change from baseline at week 12 in mean nightly nocturia and daily urge urinary incontinence episodes, International Prostate Symptom Score‒storage score, and volume voided per micturition. Safety was evaluated via adverse events (AEs)., Results: Of 1105 participants randomized, 965 (87.3%) completed the trial. At week 12, vibegron was associated with significant reductions vs placebo in daily micturitions (least squares mean difference [95% CI], -0.74 [-1.02, -0.46]; P < .0001) and urgency episodes (-0.95 [-1.37, -0.54]; P < .0001). Vibegron was also associated with significant improvements vs placebo at week 12 in nocturia episodes (least squares mean difference, -0.22 [-0.36, -0.09]; P = .002), urge urinary incontinence episodes (-0.80 [-1.33, -0.27]; P = .003), International Prostate Symptom Score‒storage scores (-0.9 [-1.2, -0.6]; P < .0001), and volume voided (15.07 mL [9.13-21.02]; P < .0001). AE rates were similar in vibegron (45.0%) and placebo (39.0%) arms; AEs occurring in ≥ 2% of participants were hypertension (9.0% vs 8.3%), COVID-19 (4.0% vs 3.1%), UTI (2.5% vs 2.2%), and hematuria (2.0% vs 2.5%)., Conclusions: In this trial, vibegron met all primary and secondary end points and was safe and well tolerated in men with OAB symptoms and pharmacologically treated BPH.

Introduction: Vibegron is a β 3 -adrenergic receptor agonist approved for overactive bladder (OAB). This analysis assessed real-world adherence and persistence with vibegron in patients with OAB, along with demographics and clinical characteristics associated with adherence and persistence., Methods: This retrospective study used the Optum Research Database to identify patients treated with vibegron from April 2021 to August 2022 (identification period). Patients had ≥ 60 days of continuous pharmacy coverage in a commercial or Medicare Advantage plan following the index fill (follow-up). Adherence was assessed as proportion of days covered (PDC) from index to end of follow-up and was defined as PDC ≥ 80%. Persistence was measured as days to discontinuation of therapy (30-day gap) or end of follow-up. Data for adherence and persistence are presented descriptively. Characteristics associated with adherence and persistence were analyzed using multivariable models among patients with medical and pharmacy benefits during the 90 days before index (baseline)., Results: Overall, 9992 patients had a vibegron claim during the identification period; 9712 had ≥ 2 months of follow-up. Mean (SD) age was 74.2 (10.7) years; 68.2% were female. Mean (SD) PDC was 0.64 (0.34). Median (95% confidence interval) persistence was 142 (132-153) days. Of the 5073 patients who were ≥ 18 years old with continuous baseline pharmacy and medical benefits ≥ 90 days before index, 2497 (49.2%) were adherent. Patients were more likely to be adherent and persistent if they received a greater days' supply for the index fill and had baseline medication count ≥ 6. Patients were more likely to discontinue if their index copay was > $45., Conclusion: Nearly half of the patients initiating vibegron were adherent. Factors associated with adherence and persistence were more likely to be related to prescribing practices than patient characteristics. These results suggest it may be best to follow up with patients approximately 4 to 5 months after initiating treatment with vibegron., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Anticholinergic medications have long been a mainstay of overactive bladder (OAB) treatment. Oxybutynin, a first-generation anticholinergic, still accounts for more than half of all OAB medication prescriptions, despite associations with impaired memory and cognition, as well as mounting evidence that it may increase the risk of incident dementia. This review details the current literature regarding oxybutynin and cognition, including evidence from preclinical, clinical, and real-world studies that show that oxybutynin binds nonspecifically to muscarinic receptors in the brain and is associated with adverse cognitive outcomes. We also discuss society recommendations to reduce use of oxybutynin and other anticholinergics to treat OAB., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest Michael B. Chancellor, consultant for Cook MyoSite and AMAG Pharmaceuticals; other interests in Lipella Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Alvaro Lucioni, site principal investigator for Neuspara Inc. David Staskin, consultant for Astellas, AzuraBio, UroCure, and Sumitomo Pharma America; investigator and meeting participant/lecturer for Astellas and Sumitomo Pharma America; holds other interests in AzuraBio and UroCure., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

What is this summary about? This is a plain language summary of an article published in the journal Advances in Therapy . In 2020, the US Food and Drug Administration (also called the FDA) approved a medicine called vibegron to treat overactive bladder, also called OAB. The key results used to approve vibegron were from the EMPOWUR study. In the EMPOWUR study, participants who took vibegron had fewer urination episodes, urgency episodes, and bladder leaks each day than those who took a pill containing no medicine, called a placebo. At the end of the study, participants also rated how much their overactive bladder symptoms changed overall during EMPOWUR by responding to a survey. Many participants rated their overactive bladder symptoms as improved overall. This study asked if improvements in the number of urination episodes, urgency episodes, and bladder leaks caused by urgency were associated with feeling better overall. This study also looked at how many participants in the EMPOWUR study had improvements in the number of urination episodes, urgency episodes, and bladder leaks that were big enough to matter. A separate group of people with overactive bladder were asked about the magnitude of improvements that would be important to them. This group had not participated in the EMPOWUR study. What were the results? EMPOWUR participants who reported that taking medicine resulted in their overactive bladder symptoms getting better overall also generally reported fewer daily urinations, urgency episodes, and bladder leaks after treatment. Many had changes in their symptoms that were meaningful. Meaningful was defined for each symptom as: at least 15% fewer urinations, 50% fewer urgency episodes, and 75% fewer bladder leaks. Participants who received vibegron had meaningful reductions in the daily number of episodes of urination, urgency, and bladder leaks more often than those who received the placebo (pill with no active medicine). People with overactive bladder who did not participate in the study were interviewed and said that improvements to those symptoms, similar to those seen in the EMPOWUR study, would be important to them. What do the results mean? This study suggests that the results we measured in the EMPOWUR study may also reflect changes in overactive bladder symptoms that are big enough to be important to people with overactive bladder. Many participants who took vibegron in the EMPOWUR study felt that it helped to improve their individual overactive bladder symptoms. This may also help improve quality of life of participants. Clinical Trial Registration: NCT03492281 (ClinicalTrials.gov).

What is this summary about? This is a plain language summary of an article originally published in the Journal of Urology . Overactive bladder (also called OAB) has been treated with the same type of medicine for more than 40 years. Vibegron is in a newer class of medicine for treating overactive bladder called beta-3 adrenergic receptor agonists. The EMPOWUR study was a phase 3 clinical trial that looked at whether vibegron was safe and improved symptoms in people with overactive bladder. Vibegron was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (also called the FDA) based in part on the results of this study. What were the results? Participants of the EMPOWUR study who took vibegron showed an improvement in their overactive bladder symptoms. These symptoms include the number of urinations (peeing), the urgent need to urinate, and accidental urination (bladder leaks). After 12 weeks, participants who took vibegron had significantly greater improvements than participants who took placebo. What do the results mean? This study suggests that vibegron could safely improve symptoms in people with overactive bladder. Clinical Trial Registration: NCT03492281 (ClinicalTrials.gov).