Study	Reason for exclusion
Adelroth 1998	Not an RCT but a review article.
Agertoft 1994	Not RCT (CCT) of 278 children with asthma. Intervention group with budesonide but control group consisted of SCG, theophylline, or B2‐agonists.
Anonymous 1975	Not an RCT but a case presentation.
Anonymous 1996	Not an RCT but a review paper.
Anonymous 1997	Review paper, not RCT.
Arner 1971	RCT ‐ asthmatic adults already on corticosteroids were randomized to SCG or placebo and then crossed over.
Balzano 2002	Not an RCT
Baxter Jones 2000	Comparison involved ssA2 agonist versus inhaled steroids.
Bisgaard 2004	may enroll patients without asthma
Brown 1973	Not an RCT. 31 children with asthma were placed on ICS.
Capristo 1994	Comparison involved nedocromil vs ICS rather than SCG vs ICS.
Carlsen 1996	Not an RCT but a review.
Carter 2002	Not an RCT
Chuchalin 2002	Comparison not ICS or SCG
Cockcroft 1987	Intervention too short. RCT involving 10 adults with asthma who received BDP, SCG, or salbutamol alone for 6 days and had assessment of FEV1.
Comis 1993	Comparison involved SCG vs. nedocromil rather than ICS, and outcomes related to exercise‐induced asthma (not an outcome of interest).
Del Bufalo 1993	Comparison involved nedocromil vs placebo rather than ICS vs SCG in patients with COPD and not asthma.
Donahue 1997	Not an RCT (a cohort study).
Dubus 2003	Not an RCT
Friday 1973	Comparison involved SCG vs placebo in steroid‐dependent asthmatics.
Gordon 2003	Comparison not ICS vs. SCG
Higgs 1996	Intervention length of 2 weeks was too short.
Holgate 1997	Not an RCT but an editorial.
Kannisto S 2000	Not RCT (CCT involving 75 children with asthma. 60 were randomized to BUD or FP and remaining 15 were placed on SCG or nedocromil).
Kanter 1997	Not RCT(This should be listed as review paper.)
Khurana 1977	Not RCT. Cohort study of 70 children treated with cromolyn and followed prospectively for 5 years.
Kidner 1968	Not direct comparison (RCT of 28 asthmatic patients randomized to SCG or placebo).
Kurokawa 1970	Comparison of Intal (SCG) vs placebo rather than SCG vs ICS.
Lindquist 2001	Not RCT
Mapp 1987	Short washout period (1 week), short intervention (1 week), outcome not pertinent.
Martinati 1996	Not RCT (CCT) of 64 children with asthma ages 5‐10.
Martinati 1998	Not RCT (cohort study) of 49 children with asthma.
Mathison 1971	RCT of cromolyn vs placebo in 30 adults with asthma. Inhaled steroids in both groups.
Meyer 2003	Comparison not of SCG or ICS
Muijsers 2002	not an RCT
Nikander 2003	Comparison not of SCG or ICS
Pauwels 2003	Comparison not of SCG vs. ICS
Pelikan 1988a	No outcomes of interest (bronchial provocation tests); too short intervention (1 day).
Pelikan 1988b	Not an RCT, no outcomes of interest. 61 patients with asthma were pretreated with DSCG or BDP and measured late asthmatic responses.
Pepys 1974	Not RCT (8 adults with asthma were given SCG and BDP on successive days), no outcome of interest (immediate and late asthma reactions), too short intervention (1 day).
Petersen 1996	Not a direct comparison of SCG vs ICS. Children on ICS were randomized to SCG or placebo and outcomes were measured.
Pichaipat 1995	Not RCT (14 children with asthma were given placebo, terbutaline, SCG, or budesonide on successive weeks); no outcomes of interest (exercise induced fall in FEV1).
Reijonen 1996	No subjects with asthma (children 1 to 23 months old with bronchiolitis).
Reijonen 1998	No subjects with asthma (children 1 to 23 months old with bronchiolitis were enrolled).
Rubinfeld 1985	An RCT, but comparison was nedocromil vs. placebo.
Ruffin 1987	An RCT, but comparison was nedocromil vs. placebo.
Sarsfield 1977	Not RCT
Shore 1971	Not an RCT (all 90 children with asthma were given SCG); no controls; no inhaled steroid arm.
Sidelnikov 1985	Not an RCT.
Sin Hyung 1998	Involved children with exercise‐induced asthma rather than chronic asthma. Intervention was only 1 day rather than minimum of 4 weeks.
Toogood 1981	Comparison of ICS +/‐ SCG
Volovitz 2003	Comparison not SCG or ICS
Von Berg 2002	comparison not of SCG or ICS
Wuthrich 1982	Too short intervention (10 days) and washout (4 days). Cross‐over RCT of 36 asthmatics comparing SCG with FCB.
Zeiger 1991	not an RCT