Botox Is No Better Than Placebo for BPH-Associated Urinary Symptoms

Bladder injections of onabotulinumtoxinA (Botox) are FDA approved for two urinary indications — urge incontinence in patients with overactive bladder who cannot tolerate or do not respond adequately to anticholinergic drugs, and urinary incontinence caused by detrusor overactivity in patients with neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis or spinal cord injury. Researchers sought to determine whether botulinum toxin might also improve lower urinary tract symptoms associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

In an industry-sponsored, double-blind trial, 315 men with moderate-to-severe BPH symptoms (after withdrawal of previous treatment with α-blockers or 5α-reductase inhibitors) were randomized to receive intraprostatic injec…