Study type

Study topic

DiseaseĀ /health condition
Human medicinal product

Study type

Non-interventional study

Scope of the study

Assessment of risk minimisation measure implementation or effectiveness

Data collection methods

Secondary use of data
Non-interventional study

Non-interventional study design

Cohort
Study drug and medical condition

Name of medicine, other

dutasteride and finasteride
Population studied

Short description of the study population

All men age 50 years and older treated with a BPH medication (5ARI and/or alphablocker) will be eligible for inclusion. Men using alpha-blocker medications were
selected as the comparison group for this study as alpha-blockers are the most common treatment for BPH and men with BPH or lower urinary tract symptoms that are untreated for their condition are likely to be very different from those with severe enough symptoms to seek medical care and take medication.

INCLUSION CRITERIA:
1. Male
2. A new prescription for BPH medication (5ARI and/or alpha-blocker) in 1992 or later that is identified as appropriate treatment for BPH/LUTS from the National Pharmacy guidelines
3. Treatment with BPH medication initiated prior to Jan1, 2008.
4. Age 50 years or older at time of treatment with 5ARI or alpha-blocker
5. At least 1-year of coverage in the healthcare system before the first prescription for BPH medication (5ARI and/or alpha-blocker).
6. At least 3 consecutive prescriptions (90 days of supply) for a BPH medication (5ARI and/or alpha-blocker)

EXCLUSION CRITERIA:
1. Diagnosis of prostate cancer any time before the first prescription for BPH
medication (5ARI and/or alpha-blocker).
Diagnosis of prostate cancer within 3 months after first BPH medication (5ARI
and/or alpha-blocker)
Patients treated with finasteride 1mg prior to BPH medication. Finasteride 1mg is
the dose approved for androgenic alopecia and as the target population for this
study is men with treated BPH, we will exclude all men treated with the 1mg
dose. Patients treated with 1mg Finasteride will be characterized in terms of
which study exposure group they would have transitioned into (5ARI or alphablocker) had they been included in the study population, and basic baseline
demographic factors.

Age groups

Adults (46 to < 65 years)
Adults (65 to < 75 years)
Adults (75 to < 85 years)
Adults (85 years and over)

Special population of interest

Other

Special population of interest, other

Prostate cancer patients

Estimated number of subjects

219000
Study design details

Main study objective

To assess the risk of prostate cancer mortality associated with use of 5ARIs, with or without alpha-blockers, compared to alpha-blockers in men treated with BPH medications.

Outcomes

To acess prostate cancer mortality. To access combined endpoint of prostate cancer mortality or metastatic cancer, and all cause mortality.

Data analysis plan

Cox proportional hazard regression models will be fit in the overall data set to compare prostate cancer mortality between groups while adjusting for the pre-treatment characteristics.
Documents
Study results
English (4.09 MB - PDF)View document