Urodynamic Measurement of Urethral Closure Function in Women with Stress Urinary Incontinence: A Single Dose Study of Duloxetine

This urodynamic double-blind crossover study in women with stress urinary incontinence (SUI) was performed to evaluate the effect of duloxetine, a serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor, on urethral function and to determine an appropriate method for making go/no-go decisions in drug development. The urethral pressure profiles at rest and during coughing were measured before and 6 h after single oral administration of placebo or 40 mg duloxetine in 10 women aged 36 to 53 years with SUI (蠅1 episode/wk). Compared with placebo, duloxetine significantly increased the mean and maximal urethral closure pressures at rest calculated over the entire urethra. In the distal third of the urethra, during coughing, duloxetine significantly increased the mean closure pressure and the change from baseline in the maximal amplitudes of the negative closure pressure spikes compared with placebo. Our data indicate the facilitatory effects of duloxetine on both smooth muscle contractions and reflex contractions of the...