OBJECTIVES:  To examine the effectiveness of acupuncture net of sham effect and usual care, measured using EQ-5D, in the management of chronic, non-cancer pain in primary care.  Systematic reviews of acupuncture for the conditions osteoarthritis of the knee, musculoskeletal pain and headache have been published however no reviews have incorporated the latest trial evidence from the recent large scale high quality RCTs to generate EQ-5D scores. METHODS:   An individual patient level data (IPD) based Mixed Treatment Comparison (MTC) was undertaken using a database of 28 recent, high quality RCTs containing observations for over 18,000 patients.  The analysis evaluated the effectiveness of acupuncture in terms of continuous outcomes, for each of the three conditions over a three month time horizon, mapping generic and disease-specific measures to generate EQ-5D scores and using published mapping algorithms unless none were available. RESULTS:  Acupuncture, net of sham, is more effective in that it generates greater EQ-5D scores compared to usual care in the management of chronic, non-cancer pain in primary care.  Using a random effects IPD MTC, the change in EQ-5D scores from baseline to 3 months was mean 0.0419 (95% credibility interval 0.0066 to 0.0765) for acupuncture net of sham and 0.0573 (95% credibility interval 0.0139 to 0.1006) for acupuncture vs usual care. CONCLUSIONS:   Based on EQ-5D scores, this analysis suggests that acupuncture, is the most effective option.  The analyses synthesise effectiveness evidence using MTC of IPD whilst controlling for sham effect.  This analysis is an intermediate step to inform a full cost-effectiveness analysis to support decision-making in the UK.