Article Text

Download PDFPDF
Salmeterol and fluticasone propionate did not reduce mortality in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Statistics from Altmetric.com

Request Permissions

If you wish to reuse any or all of this article please use the link below which will take you to the Copyright Clearance Center’s RightsLink service. You will be able to get a quick price and instant permission to reuse the content in many different ways.


 
 Q In patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), do salmeterol (SA) and fluticasone propionate (FP) reduce mortality more than placebo?

Clinical impact ratings GP/FP/Primary care ★★★★★★★ IM/Ambulatory care ★★★★★★★ Respirology ★★★★★★☆

METHODS

Embedded ImageDesign:

randomised, 2x2 factorial design, placebo controlled trial (Towards a Revolution in COPD Health [TORCH] trial).

Embedded ImageAllocation:

unconcealed.*

Embedded ImageBlinding:

blinded (patients, healthcare providers, and outcome assessors).*

Embedded ImageFollow up period:

3 years.

Embedded ImageSetting:

444 centres in 42 countries.

Embedded ImagePatients:

6184 patients with COPD who were 40–80 years of age (about 76% men) and had a smoking history of ⩾10 packs/year, a pre-bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) <60% of the predicted value, an increase of FEV1 <10% after using albuterol 400 µg, and a ratio of pre-bronchodilator FEV1 to forced vital capacity ⩽0.7. Exclusion criteria included asthma; previous lung surgery or lung transplantation; requirement for long term (⩾12 h/d) oxygen therapy; alcohol, drug, or solvent abuse; hypersensitivity to …

View Full Text

Footnotes

  • * See glossary.

  • For correspondence: Dr P M Calverley, University Hospital Aintree, Liverpool, UK. pmacal{at}liverpool.ac.uk

  • Source of funding: GlaxoSmithKline.