• 1. Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macau 999078, China;2. Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Macau, Macau 999078, China;3. National e-Science Institute, School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9AB, United Kingdom;
LEUNG Siuwai, Email: swleung@umac.mo
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Objective  Danshen dripping pill (DSP) and tongxinluo capsule (TXL) are popular Chinese medicinal products and often compared with isosorbide dinitrate (ISDN) in treating angina pectoris. Hundreds of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) about DSP and TXL have been published; however, there has been no systematic review on comparing DSP with TXL. This study aims to provide a comprehensive PRISMA-compliant systematic review with sensitivity analysis and subgroup analysis to valuate indirectly the efficacies of DSP and TXL in treating angina pectoris.
Methods  RCTs published between 1994 and 2009 on DSP and TXL in treating angina pectoris for four or more weeks were retrieved from databases. The qualities of RCTs included were evaluated with Jadad scale. Meta-analysis was performed on overall effects of symptomatic and electrocardiographic (ECG) improvements. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) were used to measure the effect size. Subgroup analysis, sensitivity analysis and meta-regression were conducted on basic characteristics of RCTs.
Results  65 RCTs with 6 969 participants were included. Average Jadad score was 2.11. Overall ORs were 3.66 (95%CI 2.67 to 5.02) for TXL versus ISDN and 2.38 (95%CI 1.90 to 2.99) for DSP versus ISDN. There was a significant difference (W=521.5, P=0.049 45) in ORs between DSP and TXL. Statistical analyses found no significant factors affecting overall efficacies of TXL and DSP. The rates of adverse events under DSP and TXL treatments were 2.37% and 2.11%, respectively.
Conclusion  DSP and TXL are more effective than ISDN in treating angina pectoris. TXL might be more effective than DSP. However, further RCTs of larger scale, multi-centre/country, longer follow-up periods and higher quality are still required to verify.

Citation: JIA Yongliang,ZHANG Shikai,BAO Feifei,HUANG Fangyi,LEUNG Siuwai. Indirect Comparison of Tongxinluo Capsule and Danshen Dripping Pill for Angina Pectoris: A Systematic Review. Chinese Journal of Evidence-Based Medicine, 2011, 11(8): 919-931. doi: 10.7507/1672-2531.20110155 Copy

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