Whether immunostimulants are effective in susceptible children suffering
from recurrent respiratory tract infections: a modeling analysis based
on literature aggregate data
Abstract
Background: Immunostimulants are gradually being used in the prevention
and treatment of recurrent respiratory tract infection (RRTIs) in
susceptible children, but its drug effects have not been quantified. The
purpose of this paper is to confirm the efficacy of immunostimulants in
the prevention and treatment of RRTIs in susceptible children. Methods:
Model-based meta-analysis (MBMA) was used to describe the time-course of
placebo and immunostimulants in the prevention of RRTIs in children. The
cumulative number of acute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs) was used
as the indicator of efficacy. The single-arm meta-analysis was used to
analyze the incidence of drug related adverse events. Results: A total
of 14 articles with 2,400 pediatric subjects were finally included for
analysis. The results showed that the cumulative number of ARTIs
increased linearly with time, and the incidence of ARTIS in the placebo
group was 0.65 (95% CI: 0.55 to 0.75) per month. OM-85 BV and pidotimod
significantly reduced the incidence of ARTIs by 0.21 (95% CI: 0.16 to
0.26) and 0.19 (95% CI: 0.17 to 0.21) compared with placebo per month,
respectively. The incidence of drug-related adverse events of pidotimod
and OM-85 BV was comparable with that of placebo. Conclusions: Pidotimod
and OM-85 BV can effectively reduce the incidence of ARTIs in
susceptible children, and there is no significant increase in the
incidence of drug-related adverse events. This study provides
quantitative support for the application of immunostimulants for the
prevention of recurrent respiratory tract infection in children.