The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced approval for the use of onabotulinumtoxinA (Botox) to treat urinary incontinence resulting from detrusor over activity in patients with spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis (MS)

-Team@CMHF

• Urinary incontinence associated with neurologic conditions can be difficult to manage; Botox offers another treatment option for these patients.
• Uninhibited urinary bladder contractions in patients with certain neurological conditions can lead to an inability to store urine
• Current management of this condition includes anti-cholinergic medications or use of a catheter.
• A release from Allergan notes that the approval is for patients who have an inadequate response to anti-cholinergic therapy or in whom such therapy was not tolerated.
• Treatment with onabotulinumtoxinA for this indication was based on results of 2 clinical trials involving 691 patients with spinal cord injury and MS.
• Injection of the drug through cystoscopy into the bladder results in relaxation, allowing the bladder to increase storage capacity and decrease urinary incontinence.
• The duration of effect of treatment is about 9 months.
• The most common adverse reactions seen following injection were urinary tract infection and urinary retention.
• Those who develop urinary retention after Botox treatment may require self-catheterization to empty the bladder
• OnabotulinumtoxinA is already approved for other indications, including chronic migraine, upper limb spasticity, strabismus, and blepharospasm.

For further reading log on to

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/748521?src=mpnews&spon=34