| Comparison | Baseline number of exacerbations/cycle | RR | Number of exacerbations for the comparator treatment/cycle |
|---|---|---|---|
| First cycle, 9 months | |||
| Oral corticosteroids (prednisolone) versus placebo | 1.65 | 0.91a | 1.65 |
| Inhaled corticosteroids (fluticasone) versus placebo | 1.34a | 2.21 | |
| Macrolides (azithromycin) versus placebo | 0.44b | 0.73 | |
| NSAIDs (ibuprofen) versus placebo | 1.00c | 1.65 | |
| Subsequent annual cycles | |||
| Oral corticosteroids (prednisolone) versus placebo | 2.20 | 0.91 | 2.00 |
| Inhaled corticosteroids (fluticasone) versus placebo | 1.34 | 2.95 | |
| Macrolides (azithromycin) versus placebo | 0.44 (0.37d) | 0.97 (0.73) | |
| NSAIDs (ibuprofen) versus placebo | 1.00b | 2.20 | |
Assumed to equal long term in the absence of evidence
RR 0.79 estimated from the NMA rejected by the committee and assumed to equal the longer-term estimate of 0.44
Exacerbation data not available, assumed to equal placebo in the base case
Hazard ratio
From: Appendix K, Health Economics
NCBI Bookshelf. A service of the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.