Study	Reason for exclusion
Araki 1969	Uncontrolled trial
Bernstein 1988	Open trial. 18 patients treated with auranofin over 24 weeks. Significant protection afforded against methacholine challenge but no changes in lung function. Reductions in steroid dose recorded.
Dudan 1932	Uncontrolled trial. Parenteral gold, some benefits for reduction in bronchodilators and lung function
Honma 1994	Double blind trial amongst 19 patients treated over 12 weeks. Excluded as group were not steroid dependent asthmatics. Reductions in airway responsiveness to methacholine noted in gold treated patients.
Ishizaki 1965	Uncontrolled trial.
McNeil 1989	Open trial. 8 patients treated for 7‐17 months with oral gold. Global improvements in asthma control but no change in lung function. Reductions in steroid doses recorded.
Montagna 1936	Uncontrolled trial
Muranaka 1978	Double blind trial amongst 79 patients treated with gold or placebo over 8 weeks. Excluded on the basis that the trial subjects were not all steroid dependent asthmatics. Of the subjects completing the trial, physician assessment of asthma control showed significant improvements in 20/28 gold treated patients and 16/36 placebo treated patients.
Okatani 1970	Uncontrolled trial. Derived from data from over 1000 asthmatics treated over 14 years.
Von Lebinski 1936	Uncontrolled trial.