The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Noctiva (desmopressin acetate) nasal spray for adults who awaken at least two times per night to urinate due to a condition known as nocturnal polyuria. Noctiva is the first FDA–approved treatment for this condition.

“The approval provides adults who overproduce urine at night with the first FDA–approved therapeutic option to help reduce the number of times a night they wake up to urinate,” said Hylton V. Joffe, MD, MMSc, director of the Division of Bone, Reproductive, and Urologic Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “It is important to know that Noctiva is not approved for all causes of night–time urination, so patients should discuss their symptoms with their health care provider who can determine the underlying cause of the night–time urination and whether Noctiva is right for them.”

Noctiva is taken daily, approximately 30 minutes before going to bed. It works by increasing the absorption of water through the kidneys, which leads to less urine production.

Noctiva’s efficacy was established in two 12–week, randomized, placebo–controlled trials in 1,045 patients 50 years of age and older with nocturia due to nocturnal polyuria. Although these trials showed a small reduction in the average number of night–time urinations with Noctiva compared to placebo, more patients treated with Noctiva were able to at least halve their number of night–time urinations, and patients treated with Noctiva had more nights with one or fewer night–time urinations.

Noctiva is being approved with a boxed warning and a Medication Guide because it can cause hyponatremia. Severe hyponatremia can be life–threatening if it is not promptly diagnosed and treated, leading to seizures, coma, respiratory arrest or death. Health care providers should make sure the patient’s sodium level is normal before starting Noctiva, and should check sodium levels within one week and approximately one month after starting treatment and periodically thereafter. The lower Noctiva dose is recommended as the starting dose for those who may be at risk for hyponatremia, such as the elderly. Noctiva should not be used in patients at increased risk of severe hyponatremia, such as those with excessive fluid intake, those who have illnesses that can cause fluid or electrolyte imbalances, certain patients with kidney damage, and in those using certain medicines, known as loop diuretics or glucocorticoids.

Noctiva should also not be used in patients with symptomatic congestive heart failure or uncontrolled hypertension because fluid retention can worsen these underlying conditions. Use of Noctiva should be discontinued temporarily in patients with certain nasal conditions such as colds or allergies until those conditions have resolved.

Noctiva is also not recommended for the treatment of nocturia in pregnant women. Nocturia is usually related to normal changes in pregnancy that do not require treatment with Noctiva. Noctiva should not be used in children.

The most common side effects of Noctiva in clinical trials included nasal discomfort, nasopharyngitis, nasal congestion, sneezing, high or increased blood pressure, back pain, nose bleeds, bronchitis and dizziness.

Although there are other FDA–approved medications that also contain desmopressin, none of those medications are approved to treat nocturia.

Noctiva is marketed by Milford, Pennsylvania–based Renaissance Lakewood, LLC for Serenity Pharmaceuticals, LLC.