The Bias Issue Under the Complete Null With Response Adaptive Randomization: Commentary on “Adaptive and Model-Based Dose-Ranging Trials: Quantitative Evaluation and Recommendation”

Phase II dose-response trials: A simulation study to compare analysis method performance under design considerations

Phase II trials are intended to provide information about the dose-response relationship and to support the choice of doses for a pivotal phase III trial. Recently, new analysis methods have been proposed to address these objectives, and guidance is needed to select the most appropriate analysis method in specific situations. We set up a simulation study to evaluate multiple performance measures of one traditional and three more recent dose-finding approaches under four design options and illustrate the investigated analysis methods with an example from clinical practice. Our results reveal no general recommendation for a particular analysis method across all design options and performance measures. However, we also demonstrate that the new analysis methods are worth the effort compared to the traditional ANOVA-based approach.

Adaptive trial designs: a review of barriers and opportunities

Adaptive designs allow planned modifications based on data accumulating within a study. The promise of greater flexibility and efficiency stimulates increasing interest in adaptive designs from clinical, academic, and regulatory parties. When adaptive designs are used properly, efficiencies can include a smaller sample size, a more efficient treatment development process, and an increased chance of correctly answering the clinical question of interest. However, improper adaptations can lead to biased studies. A broad definition of adaptive designs allows for countless variations, which creates confusion as to the statistical validity and practical feasibility of many designs. Determining properties of a particular adaptive design requires careful consideration of the scientific context and statistical assumptions. We first review several adaptive designs that garner the most current interest. We focus on the design principles and research issues that lead to particular designs being appealing or unappealing in particular applications. We separately discuss exploratory and confirmatory stage designs in order to account for the differences in regulatory concerns. We include adaptive seamless designs, which combine stages in a unified approach. We also highlight a number of applied areas, such as comparative effectiveness research, that would benefit from the use of adaptive designs. Finally, we describe a number of current barriers and provide initial suggestions for overcoming them in order to promote wider use of appropriate adaptive designs. Given the breadth of the coverage all mathematical and most implementation details are omitted for the sake of brevity. However, the interested reader will find that we provide current references to focused reviews and original theoretical sources which lead to details of the current state of the art in theory and practice.