A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of a herbal medicinal product containing Tropaeoli majoris herba (Nasturtium) and Armoraciae rusticanae radix (Horseradish) for the prophylactic treatment of patients with chronically recurrent lower urinary tract infections

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study was to verify the efficacy and safety of a herbal medicinal product containing Tropaeoli majoris herba and Armoraciae rusticanae radix in the prophylactic treatment of chronically recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs), and to test whether the medicinal product decreases the incidence of relapses over the study period.

Methods: A total of 219 adults aged between 18 and 75 years were screened and 174 patients enrolled. Of these 174 patients, a group of 45 patients were screening failures. Patients were randomised to receive either the study drug or placebo twice daily for 90 days. A UTI is confirmed by defined symptoms together with a laboratory result. The diagnosis of a new episode of a recurrent UTI included urine analysis from a central laboratory. The primary efficacy criterion - the number of recurrent UTIs over the study period - was tested between the treatment groups.

Results: For the per-protocol population, the mean number of recurrent UTIs in the study period was 0.43 versus 0.77 for the placebo group. This result is statistically significant (p = 0.035). A total of 36 patients in the test group and 37 patients in the placebo group reported adverse events. Two serious adverse events were reported in the placebo group and one serious adverse event in the treatment group (not associated with the study medication).

Conclusion: This randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial demonstrates the efficacy and safety of the herbal medicinal product Angocin Anti-Infekt N* in the prophylactic treatment of chronically recurrent UTIs.