EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS The most studied combination therapy for the treatment of male LUTS is the α1-adrenoceptor antagonist/5α-reductase inhibitor combination .
This combination seems to be more efficacious in terms of several outcome variables , in particular in men who have moderate-to-severe LUTS and are at risk of disease progression .
Also in terms of nocturia improvements , this combination is significantly more effective than the monotherapy .
The other often studied combination treatment , in both male and female patients with LUTS , was the combination of antimuscarinics ( in particular solifenacin ) and mirabegron .
This combination seems to be more effective in comparison with the monotherapies with respect to urinary incontinence and urgency urinary incontinence episodes and several other objective and subjective parameters , without relevant increase of adverse events .
The combination of hormone therapy and antimuscarinics in women with LUTS does not seem to be useful .
For the treatment of LUTS in men and women , combination therapy appears to be a promising option to optimize the efficacy of the available drugs for those who do not experience sufficient benefit with monotherapy .
This add-on scenario offers the possibility to have a more tailored approach to the management of LUTS , always seeking the optimal balance between efficacy and tolerability for a given patient .
PATIENT SUMMARY Some combination of drugs may offer advantages over monotherapies for the treatment of voiding and storage complaints in men and women
CONTEXT Several drugs are approved and available for the treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms ( LUTS ) in men and women .
However , the vast majority of available data , upon which the approval and recommendation in guidelines are based , considered only the role of the monotherapies and did not evaluate possible combination therapies .
OBJECTIVE This systematic review analyzes the efficacy and adverse events of combination therapies for male and female LUTS .
Combination treatment with mirabegron and solifenacin in patients with overactive bladder: efficacy and safety results from a randomised, double-blind, dose-ranging, phase 2 study (Symphony).
BACKGROUND Combining the β3-adrenoceptor agonist mirabegron and the antimuscarinic ( AM ) agent solifenacin may improve efficacy in the treatment of overactive bladder ( OAB ) while reducing the AM side effects . OBJECTIVE The primary objective was to evaluate the efficacy of combinations of solifenacin/mirabegron compared with solifenacin 5 mg monotherapy . The secondary objective was to explore the dose-response relationship and the safety/tolerability compared with placebo and monotherapy . DESIGN , SETTING , AND PARTICIPANTS A phase 2 , factorial design , r and omised , double-blind , parallel-group , placebo- and monotherapy-controlled trial , conducted at 141 sites in 20 European countries . Male and female patients were aged ≥18 yr with symptoms of OAB for ≥3 mo . INTERVENTION A total of 1306 patients ( 66.4 % female ) were r and omised to 12 wk of treatment in 1 of 12 groups : 6 combination groups ( solifenacin 2.5 , 5 , or 10 mg plus mirabegron 25 or 50 mg ) , 5 monotherapy groups ( solifenacin 2.5 , 5 , or 10 mg , or mirabegron 25 or 50 mg ) , or placebo . OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS Change from baseline to end of treatment in mean volume voided per micturition ( MVV ) ( primary end point ) and mean numbers of micturitions per 24 h , incontinence episodes per 24 h , and urgency episodes per 24 h were analysed using an analysis of covariance model . Safety assessment s included treatment-emergent adverse events ( TEAEs ) , blood pressure , pulse rate , postvoid residual ( PVR ) volume , and laboratory and electrocardiography ( ECG ) parameters . RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS Compared with solifenacin 5 mg monotherapy , all combinations with solifenacin 5 or 10 mg significantly improved MVV , with adjusted differences ranging from 18.0 ml ( 95 % confidence interval [ CI ] , 5.4 - 30.0 ) to 26.3 ml ( 95 % CI , 12.0 - 41.0 ) . Three combination groups significantly reduced micturition frequency  compared with solifenacin 5 mg , ranging from -0.80 ( 95 % CI , -1.39 to -0.22 ) to -0.98 ( 95 % CI , -1.68 to -0.27 ) . Five of six combinations significantly reduced urgency episodes compared with solifenacin 5 mg , ranging from -0.98 ( 95 % CI , -1.78 , to -0.18 ) to -1.37 ( 95 % CI , -2.03 to -0.70 ) . No dose-related trends in TEAEs , blood pressure , pulse rate , PVR volume , or laboratory or ECG parameters were observed between combination and monotherapy groups , although the incidence of constipation was slightly increased with combination therapy . CONCLUSIONS Combination therapy with solifenacin/mirabegron significantly improved MVV , micturition frequency , and urgency compared with solifenacin 5 mg monotherapy . All combinations were well tolerated , with no important additional safety findings compared with monotherapy or placebo . PATIENT SUMMARY To improve treatment of overactive bladder ( OAB ) , mirabegron/solifenacin in combination was compared with each drug alone and placebo . Combination therapy improved OAB symptoms and had similar safety and acceptability . TRIAL REGISTRATION Clinical trials.gov : NCT01340027
EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS The most studied combination therapy for the treatment of male LUTS is the α1-adrenoceptor antagonist/5α-reductase inhibitor combination .
This combination seems to be more efficacious in terms of several outcome variables , in particular in men who have moderate-to-severe LUTS and are at risk of disease progression .
Also in terms of nocturia improvements , this combination is significantly more effective than the monotherapy .
The other often studied combination treatment , in both male and female patients with LUTS , was the combination of antimuscarinics ( in particular solifenacin ) and mirabegron .
This combination seems to be more effective in comparison with the monotherapies with respect to urinary incontinence and urgency urinary incontinence episodes and several other objective and subjective parameters , without relevant increase of adverse events .
The combination of hormone therapy and antimuscarinics in women with LUTS does not seem to be useful .
For the treatment of LUTS in men and women , combination therapy appears to be a promising option to optimize the efficacy of the available drugs for those who do not experience sufficient benefit with monotherapy .
This add-on scenario offers the possibility to have a more tailored approach to the management of LUTS , always seeking the optimal balance between efficacy and tolerability for a given patient .
PATIENT SUMMARY Some combination of drugs may offer advantages over monotherapies for the treatment of voiding and storage complaints in men and women
CONTEXT Several drugs are approved and available for the treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms ( LUTS ) in men and women .
However , the vast majority of available data , upon which the approval and recommendation in guidelines are based , considered only the role of the monotherapies and did not evaluate possible combination therapies .
OBJECTIVE This systematic review analyzes the efficacy and adverse events of combination therapies for male and female LUTS .