.

Symptom improvement with ELMIRON® is often gradual, and IC patients—who may be expecting immediate results—too often discontinue treatment before allowing an adequate trial.

Many new patients do not give ELMIRON® an adequate trial of 3 to 6 months

 
  • According to 2007 IMS data, 55% of patients discontinued ELMIRON® after their first prescription1

Many patients experience symptom improvement by 3 to 6 months on ELMIRON® therapy

 
  • Patients experiencing 50% to 100% overall improvement increased most (>60%) from Month 1 to end of Month 2
  • In a separate open-label study, 61% of patients on monotherapy experienced improvement in symptoms at 3 months on therapy (n=1192)*

*1192 of 2499 patients received treatment for 3 months.



Important Safety Information

  • Contraindications: ELMIRON® is contraindicated in patients with known hypersensitivity to the drug, structurally related compounds, or excipients
  • Anticoagulant Activity: ELMIRON® is a weak anticoagulant (blood thinner) which may increase bleeding. Patients undergoing invasive surgery or having signs/symptoms of underlying coagulopathy or other increased risk of bleeding (due to anticoagulant therapy or high doses of anti-inflammatory drugs) should be evaluated for the risk of hemorrhage
  • Alopecia: In clinical trials of ELMIRON®, alopecia began within the first 4 weeks of treatment. Ninety-seven percent (97%) of the cases of alopecia reported were alopecia areata, limited to a single area on the scalp
  • Use in Pregnancy: ELMIRON® is a Pregnancy Category B drug
  • Most Common Adverse Reactions (frequency 1% to 4%): Alopecia (4%), diarrhea (4%), nausea (4%), headache (3%), rash (3%), dyspepsia (2%), abdominal pain (2%), liver function abnormalities (1%), dizziness (1%)


    References:
  1. IMS data, January 2007.
  2. Nickel JC, Barkin J, Forrest J, et al; on behalf of the Elmiron Study Group. Randomized, double-blind, dose-ranging study of pentosan polysulfate sodium for interstitial cystitis. Urology. 2005;65:654-658.