BENEFIT

The treatment of patients in clinical practice relies on the results of randomized clinical trials. The statistical methods currently used to test the treatment effects in such trials take into account a single criterion called “primary endpoint”. This is an incomplete assessment of trial results, especially in oncology and chronic diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel diseases, and allergic disorders, to name a few, for which quality of life and symptom control are of prime importance.

IDDI has developed a new statistical method named “generalized pairwise comparisons” (GPC), which allows the analysis to take into account all the endpoints, whether for benefit or harm, as long as these endpoints can be ranked in order of priority. This would allow physicians or patients to define their own priorities, thereby leading to “personalized medicine”. The purpose of this project is to further develop the GPC method and to create software to design and analyse clinical trials using this innovative approach, which will be of interest to all stakeholders: clinicians, statisticians, healthcare organizations, pharmaceutical companies, and regulatory agencies, and ultimately patients and their families.