Table 1

Design and baseline characteristics of included trials

Trial	Dual therapy	Monotherapy	Duration for dual therapy	Treatment onset	Patients	Severity of stroke	Country	Size (<3 days)	Blinding	ITT analysis	Lost to follow-up (%)	Quality
POINT 20189	Clop (600 mg load, 75 mg once daily)+Asp (50–325 mg once daily)	Asp	3 months	≤12 hours	Minor IS, TIA	NIHSS≤3	Worldwide, 269 centres	4881	Double blind	ITT	6.6	A
COMPRESS 201622	Clop (75 mg once daily without load)+Asp (300 mg load, 100 mg once daily)	Asp	30 days	≤2 days	IS	UNK	Korea, 20 centres	358	Double blind	ITT	6.7	A
He et al 23	Clop (300 mg load, 75 mg once daily)+Asp (100 mg once daily)	Asp (300 mg once daily)	14 days	≤3 days	Minor IS, TIA	NIHSS ≤7	China, single centre	690	UNK	Analysed as treated	6.2	A
Yi et al 24	Clop (75 mg once daily)+Asp (200 mg) for 30 days, then Clop alone (75 mg once daily)	Asp (200 mg once daily for 30 days, then 100 mg once daily)	30 days	≤2 days	IS	NIHSS ≤12	China, two centres	574	Blinded outcome	Analysed as treated	0.7	A
CHANCE 20126	Clop (300 mg load, 75 mg once daily)+Asp (75–300 mg load, 75 mg once daily) for 21 days, then Clop alone (75 mg)	Asp (75–300 mg load, 75 mg once daily) for 3 m	21 days	≤24 hours	Minor IS, TIA	NIHSS ≤3	China, 114 centres	5170	Double blind	ITT	0.7	A
Nakamura et al 21	Cilo (100 mg twice daily)+Asp (300 mg, then 100 mg once daily)	Asp	6 months	≤2 days	Minor IS	NIHSS ≤7	Japan, single centre	76	UNK	On-treatment analysis	16.7	B
CLAIR 20104	Clop (300 mg load, 75 mg once daily)+Asp (75–160 mg once daily)	Asp	7 days	≤3 days	Minor IS, TIA	NIHSS ≤8	Asia, multicentres	98	Blinded outcome	ITT	1.0	A
PRoFESS 200919	Dip (200 mg twice daily)+Asp (25 mg twice daily)	Clop (75 mg once daily)	3 months	≤3 days	IS	mRS 0–3	Worldwide, 695 centres	1360	Double blind	ITT	0.9	A
EARLY 200920	Dip (200 mg twice daily)+Asp (25 mg twice daily) for 3 months	Asp (100 mg once daily) for 7 days, then Dip (200 mg twice daily)+Asp (25 mg twice daily)	3 months	≤24 hours	IS, TIA	NIHSS ≤20	Germany, 46 centres	543	Blinded outcome	Analysed as treated	2.9	A
FASTER 200718	Clop (300 mg load, 75 mg once daily)+Asp (162 mg, then 81 mg once daily)	Asp	3 months	≤24 hours	Minor IS, TIA	NIHSS ≤3	North America, 18 centres	392	Double blind	ITT	1.8	A
ESPRIT 200617	Dip (200 mg twice daily)+Asp (30–325 mg once daily)	Asp	42 months	≤3 days	Minor IS, TIA	mRS ≤3	Worldwide, 86 centres	95	Open	ITT	3.8	A
CHARISMA 200616	Clop (75 mg once daily)+Asp (75–162 mg once daily)	Asp	28 months	≤24 hours	IS, TIA	UNK	Worldwide, 768 centres	216	Double blind	ITT	≤0.5	A
Chairangsarit et al 15	Dip (225 mg once daily)+Asp (300 mg once daily)	Asp	6 months	≤2 days	IS	UNK	Thailand, single centre	38	Open	UNK	UNK	A
CARESS 20053	Clop (300 mg load, 75 mg once daily)+Asp (75 mg once daily)	Asp	7 days	≤3 days	IS, TIA	NIHSS＜22	Europe, 11 centres	25	Double blind	ITT	0	A
MATCH 200414	Clop (75 mg once daily)+Asp (75 mg once daily)	Clop	18 months	≤3 days	IS, TIA	mRS 0–5	Worldwide, 507 centres	491	Double blind	ITT	4	A
ESPS 2 199613	Dip (200 mg twice daily)+Asp (25 mg twice daily)	Asp or Dip	24 months	≤3 days	IS, TIA	mRS 0–5	Europe, 59 centres	221	Double blind	ITT	0.64	A
Kaye12	Dip+Asp (900 mg once daily)	Asp	UNK	≤3 days	IS	UNK	UNK	178	UNK	UNK	UNK	B
Matías-Guiu et al 11	Dip (100 mg four times daily)+Asp (50 mg once daily)	Dip	21.4	≤3 days	TIA	UNK	Spain, single centre	109	Open	UNK	4.5	B

Quality scale: A, true randomisation and allocation concealed; B, process of randomisation not given and concealment of allocation unclear.
Asp, aspirin; Cilo, cilostazol; Clop, clopidogrel; Dip, dipyridamole; IS, ischaemic stroke; ITT intention to treat; mRS, modified Rankin Scale; NIHSS, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale; TIA, transient ischaemic attack; UNK, unknown.