ObjectivesTo assess the efficacy and safety of 3 dosages (75, 150, and 300 μg) of indacaterol in patients with moderate-to-severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by network meta-analysis.MethodsPubMed, EMbase, The Cochrane Library, CBM, CNKI, WanFang Data and VIP databases were electronically searched to collect randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of indacaterol for treating stable COPD patients from inception to December 31st, 2018. Two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data and assessed the risk bias of included studies, and then ADDIS 1.16.8 and Stata 15.1 softwares were used to perform network meta-analysis.ResultsA total of 13 RCTs involving 5 476 patients were included. The results of network meta-analysis showed that: compared to placebo, 3 dosages of indacaterol could improve trough forced expiratory volume in 1 second (trough FEV1), lower St George respiratory questionnaire (SGRQ), and improve transitional dyspnea index (TDI). 150 μg and 300 μg groups were better than placebo group in reducing COPD exacerbation rate. There were no statistically differences between groups in incidence of all adverse effects. Ranking probability table showed that 300 μg group was most likely to be the most effective treatment in improving trough FEV1, SGRQ and TDI, and it ranked second in reducing COPD exacerbation rate.ConclusionsConsidering the network meta-analysis and rankings, 300 μg indacaterol is superior to the other 2 dosages in treating the patients with moderate-to-severe COPD.