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In a 2006 meta-analysis that was conducted by investigators with no industry ties, use of long-acting β-agonists (LABAs) was associated with asthma-related death (JW Jul 18 2006). A limitation of this study was that many patients who received LABAs were not also taking inhaled corticosteroids. Now, investigators report results of an industry-funded meta-analysis of randomized trials in which inhaled corticosteroids plus salmeterol were compared with corticosteroids alone in patients with asthma. Sixty-six trials (20,966 total participants) were sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline (the maker of Advair and Serevent), and 7 trials (503 total participants) were funded by other entities.
The number of asthma-related hospitalizations and all-cause deaths…