New bulking agent stands up to Contigen.(Uryx for urinary stress incontinence)(Brief Article)

2002 JUL 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Lynn Yoffee, senior medical writer - Researchers have provided a sneak preview of a trial for yet another treatment for stress incontinence in women.

In a Late-Breaking Podium Session at the 97th annual scientific meeting of the American Urological Association (AUA) in Orlando, Florida, this interim report showed that Uryx, a new bulking agent, appears to allow delivery of the desired volume through a very small gauge (25 g) needle. The injected volume remains fixed and a durable cohesive mass is formed. These properties appear to offer promising clinical advantages and the results were at least comparable to a similar agent.

Uryx is a synthetic liquid that looks like water, but once it is injected around the urethral opening, it forms a solid mass. This results in bulking of the area to help keep the urethra closed so that urine does not leak out of the bladder during physical activity or strain.

Urethral bulking agents currently approved by the FDA are only for treatment of a subclass of stress urinary incontinence in which the urethral sphincter is unable to close (approximately 15% of the potential patient population). The effectiveness of these treatments decreases with time and multiple injection procedures are required to maintain patient benefits.

In the United States, urinary incontinence (the unintentional loss of urine) is estimated to affect millions of people, most of them women. Although caused by a variety of factors, women are most likely to develop incontinence either during or following pregnancy or childbirth, or after the hormonal changes of menopause, which cause weakened pelvic muscles. Urinary incontinence can lead to lifestyle restrictions, depression, and may also lead to complications such as urinary tract infections and skin rashes. It is ...