Investigation of the reasons for withdrawal from long-term treatment with mirabegron of treatment-naïve Japanese female patients with overactive bladder in the real-world clinical setting

PURPOSE: The persistence of treatment with mirabegron and the reasons for withdrawal from the treatment among treatment-naïve Japanese female patients with overactive bladder (OAB) were prospectively investigated for 3 years in the real-world clinical setting. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 62 treatment-native Japanese female patients clinically diagnosed with OAB were treated with mirabegron and prospectively followed for 3 years. The persistence rate was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. If mirabegron had to be terminated or a patient did not come to the hospital to receive a prescription, the reasons for withdrawal from treatment were determined. RESULTS: The 6-month, 1-year, 2-year, and 3-year persistence rates were 51.6%, 38.7%, 32.3%, and 25.8%, respectively. The most frequent reasons for withdrawal from treatment with mirabegron were symptom resolution (38.7%), deterioration of comorbidity unrelated to OAB (12.9%), lack of efficacy (8.1%), and adverse events (4.8%). CONCLUSIONS: The persistence rate of treatment with mirabegron among treatment-naïve Japanese female patients with OAB is low for 3 years in the real-world clinical setting. Many patients discontinue the treatment for various reasons, the most frequent of which is symptom resolution. These findings provide important considerations for clinicians whose patients are continuing medication for OAB.