Successful therapy of interstitial cystitis with pentosanpolysulfate

Sodium pentosanpolysulfate (Elmiron) is a synthetic, sulfated polysaccharide available in an oral form that is excreted into the urine. This drug was used in a double-blind fashion to evaluate its efficacy in the management of symptoms of interstitial cystitis. A dose of 100 mg. 3 times daily was used for a minimum of 4 months and was continued for longer than 18 months in some individuals. A total of 62 patients was evaluated from 2 different medical centers. Subjective improvements were greater in all parameters when the drug was compared to placebo therapy, with significant improvement in pain, urgency, frequency and nocturia. Objective improvement in average voided volumes was greater with the drug than with placebo (p equals 0.009). No significant difference was found between drug and placebo groups in the average number of daily voiding episodes.