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Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have symptoms related to oversecretion of mucus, suggesting that mucolytic agents might be beneficial. Carbocisteine is a mucolytic drug (like N-acetylcysteine) with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. In a randomized, controlled, manufacturer-sponsored trial, 709 patients (age range, 40–80) with COPD who were enrolled from 22 centers in China received either 1500 mg of carbocisteine (two 250-mg tablets 3 times daily) or placebo for 1 year. Eligible patients had two or more COPD exacerbations during the previous 2 years and were clinically stable for 4 weeks before study entry. Conventional treatments, such as bronchodilators and inhaled steroids, that were started before …