Cochrane review on roflumilast and cilomilast

Chong J et al review the 23 placebo-randomized trials of just-FDA-approved roflumilast and its sister cilomilast, the oral phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitors. The overall mean improvements in quality of life (1 point on the SGRQ scale) and lung function (46 mL of FEV1) were tiny. The drugs did significantly reduce exacerbations with an odds ratio of 0.78 -- as good or better than currently available inhalers. All the trials were less than one year long. Cochrane Database of Syst Rev 2011;5:CD002309.