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Tyagi P, Kashyap M, Hensley H, Yoshimura N. Advances in intravesical therapy for urinary tract disorders. Expert Opin Drug Deliv. 2015 Oct 19:1-14. [Epub ahead of print]

Intravesical therapy refers to the practice of using a catheter to deliver various medications directly into the bladder. It is a commonly used treatment for interstitial cystitis/ painful bladder syndrome (IC/PBS). This review article describes recent and promising developments in intravesical therapy that may improve outcomes for patients with urinary tract disorders. In particular, the use of liposomes, hydrogels, and polymers to deliver treatment intravesically is discussed in detail. Liposomes are very small spherical structures made of membrane that can be filled with drugs such as botulinum toxin, tacrolimus, and small interfering RNA, that are then instilled intravesically. This represents a “repurposing” of older drugs that were given by other routes of administration. The hope is that intravesical delivery using the liposomal formulation will increase the efficacy of those drugs. Likewise, there are promising studies in animals showing that hydrogels and polymers that form indwelling devices seem to improve clinical outcomes; these are discussed at length in this review.