Bladder anticholinergics dementia risk review published
MHRA publishes a Public Assessment Report reviewing safety data on the risk of dementia associated with bladder anticholinergic medicines.
What this means
Bladder anticholinergics are a class of drugs that block a key chemical messenger in the nervous system to treat overactive bladder. The UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has published its full safety review examining the potential link between these medicines and an increased risk of dementia. The agency now recommends that "prescribers should consider the potential risk of dementia when prescribing these medicines, particularly for long-term use.
From the source
Research and analysis
Bladder Anticholinergics: review of risk of dementia
Public Assessment Report on the safety review of the available data on the risk of dementia with the use of bladder anticholinergic medicines.
From: Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency
Published: 27 July 2026
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Documents
Bladder Anticholinergics and dementia: Public Assessment Report (PAR)
PDF, 891 KB, 94 pages
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Details
This report presents the MHRA’s review of safety data on the risk of dementia with the use of bladder anticholinergic medicines.
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Published 27 July 2026
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