Characteristic	Schernthaner 2004	Smith 2005	Tan 2004a	Tan 2004b	Watanabe 2005
	I1: pioglitazone C1: metformin	I1: pioglitazone C1: placebo	I1: pioglitazone C1: glimepiride	I1: pioglitazone C1: glibenclamide	I1: pioglitazone C1: glibenclamide
[n] of participants who died	I1: 0.5% (3/597) C1: 0.3% (2/597)	no statement	no statement	no statement	no statement
[%] adverse events	I1: 52.9% (316/597) C1: 58.0% (346/597)	I1: ? C1: ?	I1: 86.8% (105/121) C1: 76.4%(94/123)	I1: 76.9% (70/91) C1: 83.5% (91/109)	I1: ? C1: ?
[%] serious adverse events	I1: 4.9% (29/597) C1: 7.4% (44/597)	I1: ? C1: ?	I1: 6.6% (8/121) C1: 4.1% (5/123)	I1: 7.7% (7/91) C1: 7.3% (8/109)	I1: ? C1: ?
[%] drop‐outs due to adverse events	I1: 7.0% (42/597) C1: 6.5% (39/597)	I1: ? C1: ?	I1: 4.1% (5/121) C1: 2.4% (3/123)	I1: 6.6% (6/91) C1: 9.2% (10/109)	I1: 13.3% (2/15) C1: 6.7% (1/15)
[%] oedema	I1: 6.7% (40/597) C1: 1.8% (11/597)	I1: 12.5% (3/24) C1: 4.2% (1/24)	I1: 28.9% (35/121) C1: 13.8% (17/123)	I1: 26.4% (24/91) C1: 8.2% (9/109)	I1: 13.3% (2/15) C1: ?
haemoglobin [g/dl]	I1: ‐0.59 C1: ‐0.44	I1: ? C1: ?	I1: ? C1: ?	I1: ? C1: ?	I1: ? C1: ?
body weight [kg]	I1: +1.9 C1: ‐2.5	I1: +3.9 C1: ‐0.8	I1: +1.5 C1: +0.8	I1: +3.0 C1: +1.1	I1: ? C1: ?
body mass index (BMI) [kg/m2]	I1: ? C1: ?	I1: ? C1: ?	I1: ? C1: ?	I1: ? C1: ?	I1: +0.1 C1: ‐0.6
[%] hypoglycaemic episodes	I1: ? C1: ?	I1: ? C1: ?	I1: 15.7% (19/121) C1: 30.9% (38/123)	I1: 4.3% (4/91) C1: 29.4% (32/109)	I1: ? C1: ?
[%] severe hypoglycaemic episodes	I1: ? C1: ?	I1: ? C1: ?	I1: ? C1: ?	I1: ? C1: ?	I1: ? C1: 6.7% (1/15)?
Notes	hepatotoxicity ‐ I1: 2/597 C1: 1/597	pulmonary oedema ‐ I1: 1/24
Symbols & abbreviations: ? = unclear I = intervention; C = control