Darifenacin (trade name Enablex in United States and Canada, Emselex in the European Union) is a

medication Medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal product, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to medical diagnosis, diagnose, cure, treat, or preventive medicine, prevent disease. Drug therapy (pharmaco ...

used to treat

urinary incontinence Urinary incontinence (UI), also known as involuntary urination, is any uncontrolled leakage of urine. It is a common and distressing problem, which may have a significant effect on quality of life. Urinary incontinence is common in older women ...

due to an

overactive bladder Overactive bladder (OAB) is a common condition where there is a frequent feeling of needing to urinate to a degree that it negatively affects a person's life. The frequent need to urinate may occur during the day, at night, or both. Loss of bl ...

. It was discovered by scientists at the Pfizer research site in Sandwich, UK under the identifier UK-88,525 and used to be marketed by

Novartis Novartis AG is a Swiss multinational corporation, multinational pharmaceutical company, pharmaceutical corporation based in Basel, Switzerland. Novartis is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world and was the eighth largest by re ...

. In 2010, the US rights were sold to Warner Chilcott for .

Adverse effects

Darifenacin should not be used in people with

urinary retention Urinary retention is an inability to completely empty the bladder. Onset can be sudden or gradual. When of sudden onset, symptoms include an inability to urinate and lower abdominal pain. When of gradual onset, symptoms may include urinary incont ...

. Anticholinergic agents, such as darifenacin, may also produce constipation and blurred vision. Heat prostration (due to decreased sweating) can occur when anticholinergics such as darifenacin are used in a hot environment.

Medical uses

Darifenacin is indicated for the treatment of overactive bladder with symptoms of urge urinary incontinence, urgency, and frequency in adults. It may also be recommended with an alpha blocker to help provide symptomatic benefit for overactive bladder and obstructive symptoms such as those likely associated with

benign prostatic hyperplasia Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), also called prostate enlargement, is a noncancerous increase in size of the prostate gland. Symptoms may include frequent urination, trouble starting to urinate, weak stream, urinary retention, inability t ...

. American Urological Association (AUA) Guideline. Diagnosis and Treatment of Overactive Bladder in Adults: AUA/SUFA guideline 2012

Mechanism of action

Darifenacin works by blocking the M₃

muscarinic acetylcholine receptor Muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs) are acetylcholine receptors that form G protein-coupled receptor, G protein-coupled receptor complexes in the cell membranes of certain neurons and other Cell (biology), cells. They play several role ...

, which is primarily responsible for

bladder The bladder () is a hollow organ in humans and other vertebrates that stores urine from the kidneys. In placental mammals, urine enters the bladder via the ureters and exits via the urethra during urination. In humans, the bladder is a distens ...

muscle contraction Muscle contraction is the activation of Tension (physics), tension-generating sites within muscle cells. In physiology, muscle contraction does not necessarily mean muscle shortening because muscle tension can be produced without changes in musc ...

s. It thereby decreases the urgency to

urinate Urination is the release of urine from the bladder through the urethra in placental mammals, or through the cloaca in other vertebrates. It is the urinary system's form of excretion. It is also known medically as micturition, voiding, ure ...

. It is not known whether this selectivity for the M₃ receptor translates into any clinical advantage when treating symptoms of

syndrome.

References

External links

* * {{Portal bar , Medicine 5-Benzofuranethanamines Benzhydryl compounds Carboxamides CYP2D6 inhibitors Drugs developed by AbbVie Drugs developed by Novartis HERG blocker M1 receptor antagonists M2 receptor antagonists M3 receptor antagonists M4 receptor antagonists M5 receptor antagonists Pyrrolidines