Solifenacin succinate [YM 905], an investigational long-acting antimuscarinic agent, is effective and well tolerated in patients with overactive bladder, according to results from three phase III studies presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Urological Association [Chicago, US; April−May 2003]. These studies, involving more than 2000 patients, showed that solifenacin succinate significantly reduced urinary urgency, incontinence and frequency, compared with placebo. More than half of the patients treated with solifenacin succinate became continent by the end of the study. Another important finding was that the increase in the volume of each micturition among patients treated with solifenacin succinate was 3−6 times that observed in placebo recipients."Solifenacin succinate may give physicians another option to help... patients cope with the embarrassing and bothersome symptoms of incontinence that severely impact on quality of life",said Dr Joel Kaufman from Urology Research Options in Aurora, US.