Points to Consider on Switching between Superiority and Non-inferiority & Guideline on the Choice of Non-inferiority Marginへの討論

抄録

Two guidelines related to non-inferiority trials were released by the European Medicines Agency (EMEA). One pertains to the choice of non-inferiority margin and the other to switching the objective of a trial between superiority and non-inferiority. These guidelines describe principles for appropriately designing and interpreting non-inferior trials, but it is very difficult to follow these principles in an actual clinical trial setting. In this article, recommendations in interpreting these guidelines are discussed from a sponsor statisticians' point of view. Some issues of non-inferior trials not mentioned in these guidelines are also discussed.