Differences in alpha blocker usage among enlarged prostate patients receiving combination therapy with 5 ARIs (original) (raw)

The objective of this study was to directly assess the likelihood and timing of alpha blocker discontinuation in patients receiving combination therapy with dutasteride or finasteride plus an alpha blocker. A retrospective analysis of the PharMetrics Integrated Medical and Pharmaceutical Database (Watertown, Mass) was conducted to assess differences in alpha blocker discontinuation rates for patients initiated on 5-alpha reductase inhibitor (5ARI) therapy. The database is nationally representative, encompassing more than 45 million patients from 85 managed healthcare plans. Male patients aged >50 years with a diagnosis of enlarged prostate (EP) who were receiving alpha blocker therapy and who began 5ARI treatment (dutasteride or finasteride) between January 1, 1999, and March 1, 2005, were included. Patients were studied for up to 12 months to evaluate the likelihood and timing of alpha blocker discontinuation. Overall, 56.7% of the patients remained on alpha blocker therapy for ...