Macrolides in the prevention of COPD exacerbations

This is getting increasing attention. From a recent review:

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the major health problems in the world. Long-term treatment with macrolide antibiotics is a recent development that has been reported to have beneficial effects on exacerbation frequency. These effects are not only attributed to the antimicrobial effect but also to the immune modulatory effect. Six randomized trials and 1 retrospective study have been performed to investigate the efficacy of macrolides in the prevention of acute exacerbations of COPD. Besides the beneficial effects on the occurrence of exacerbations of COPD, this treatment also seems to improve quality of life and is well tolerated. Antimicrobial resistance is one of the future issues to consider before implementing this therapy.