This open access book, published under a CC BY 4.0 license in the Pubmed indexed book series Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology, provides up-to-date information on best practice to improve experimental design and quality of research in non-clinical pharmacology and biomedicine.

Praise for the First Edition “All medical statisticians involved in clinical trials should read this book...” - Controlled Clinical Trials Featuring a unique combination of the applied aspects of randomization in clinical trials with a nonparametric approach to inference, Randomization in Clinical Trials: Theory and Practice, Second Edition is the go-to guide for biostatisticians and pharmaceutical industry statisticians. Randomization in Clinical Trials: Theory and Practice, Second Edition features: Discussions on current philosophies, controversies, and new developments in the increasingly important role of randomization techniques in clinical trials A new chapter on covariate-adaptive randomization, including minimization techniques and inference New developments in restricted randomization and an increased focus on computation of randomization tests as opposed to the asymptotic theory of randomization tests Plenty of problem sets, theoretical exercises, and short computer simulations using SAS® to facilitate classroom teaching, simplify the mathematics, and ease readers’ understanding Randomization in Clinical Trials: Theory and Practice, Second Edition is an excellent reference for researchers as well as applied statisticians and biostatisticians. The Second Edition is also an ideal textbook for upper-undergraduate and graduate-level courses in biostatistics and applied statistics. William F. Rosenberger, PhD, is University Professor and Chairman of the Department of Statistics at George Mason University. He is a Fellow of the American Statistical Association and the Institute of Mathematical Statistics, and author of over 80 refereed journal articles, as well as The Theory of Response-Adaptive Randomization in Clinical Trials, also published by Wiley. John M. Lachin, ScD, is Research Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics as well as in the Department of Statistics at The George Washington University. A Fellow of the American Statistical Association and the Society for Clinical Trials, Dr. Lachin is actively involved in coordinating center activities for clinical trials of diabetes. He is the author of Biostatistical Methods: The Assessment of Relative Risks, Second Edition, also published by Wiley.

Randomization, Masking, and Allocation Concealment is indispensable for any trial researcher who wants to use state of the art randomization methods, and also wants to be able to describe these methods correctly. Far too often the subtle nuances that distinguish proper randomization from flawed randomization are completely ignored in trial reports that state only that randomization was used, with no additional information. Experience has shown that in many cases, the type of randomization that was used was flawed. It is only a matter of time before medical journals and regulatory agencies come to realize that we can no longer rely on (or publish) flawed trials, and that flawed randomization in and of itself disqualifies a trial from being robust or high quality, even if that trial is of high quality otherwise. This book will help to clarify the role randomization plays in ensuring internal validity, and in drawing valid inferences from the data. The various chapters cover a variety of randomization methods, and are not limited to the most common (and most flawed) ones. Readers will come away with a profound understanding of what constitutes a valid randomization procedure, so that they can distinguish the valid from the flawed among not only existing methods but also methods yet to be developed.

Selection bias can, and does, occur, even in randomized clinical trials. Steps need to be taken in order to ensure that this does not compromise the integrity of clinical trials; hence “Selection Bias and Covariate Imbalances in Randomized Clinical Trials” offers a comprehensive treatment of the subject and the methodology involved. This book: Provides an overview of the hierarchy of study designs, and justifies the position of randomised trials at the top of this hierarchy. Discusses the strengths and defects of randomisation, and provides real evidence to justify concern regarding its defects. Outlays the damaging consequences that selection bias causes when it does occur. Considers courses of action that can be taken to manage/ contain the problem. Presents methods that can be used to detect selection bias in randomised trials, and methods to correct for selection bias. Concludes by providing a comprehensive plan for managing baseline imbalances and selection bias in randomised trials, and proposing open problems for future research. Illustrated with case studies, this book introduces groundbreaking ideas and research that will be invaluable to researchers and practitioners who design and analyse clinical trials. It will also be of interest to graduate students within the field of biostatistics.

Healthcare decision makers in search of reliable information that compares health interventions increasingly turn to systematic reviews for the best summary of the evidence. Systematic reviews identify, select, assess, and synthesize the findings of similar but separate studies, and can help clarify what is known and not known about the potential benefits and harms of drugs, devices, and other healthcare services. Systematic reviews can be helpful for clinicians who want to integrate research findings into their daily practices, for patients to make well-informed choices about their own care, for professional medical societies and other organizations that develop clinical practice guidelines. Too often systematic reviews are of uncertain or poor quality. There are no universally accepted standards for developing systematic reviews leading to variability in how conflicts of interest and biases are handled, how evidence is appraised, and the overall scientific rigor of the process. In Finding What Works in Health Care the Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommends 21 standards for developing high-quality systematic reviews of comparative effectiveness research. The standards address the entire systematic review process from the initial steps of formulating the topic and building the review team to producing a detailed final report that synthesizes what the evidence shows and where knowledge gaps remain. Finding What Works in Health Care also proposes a framework for improving the quality of the science underpinning systematic reviews. This book will serve as a vital resource for both sponsors and producers of systematic reviews of comparative effectiveness research.

This is a comprehensive major reference work for our SpringerReference program covering clinical trials. Although the core of the Work will focus on the design, analysis, and interpretation of scientific data from clinical trials, a broad spectrum of clinical trial application areas will be covered in detail. This is an important time to develop such a Work, as drug safety and efficacy emphasizes the Clinical Trials process. Because of an immense and growing international disease burden, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies continue to develop new drugs. Clinical trials have also become extremely globalized in the past 15 years, with over 225,000 international trials ongoing at this point in time. Principles in Practice of Clinical Trials is truly an interdisciplinary that will be divided into the following areas: 1) Clinical Trials Basic Perspectives 2) Regulation and Oversight 3) Basic Trial Designs 4) Advanced Trial Designs 5) Analysis 6) Trial Publication 7) Topics Related Specific Populations and Legal Aspects of Clinical Trials The Work is designed to be comprised of 175 chapters and approximately 2500 pages. The Work will be oriented like many of our SpringerReference Handbooks, presenting detailed and comprehensive expository chapters on broad subjects. The Editors are major figures in the field of clinical trials, and both have written textbooks on the topic. There will also be a slate of 7-8 renowned associate editors that will edit individual sections of the Reference.

Randomized controlled trials are one of the most powerful and revolutionary tools of research. This book is a convenient and accessible description of the underlying principles and practice of randomized controlled trials and their role in clinical decision-making. Structured in a jargon-free question-and-answer format, each chapter provides concise and understandable information on a different aspect of randomized controlled trials, from the basics of trial design and terminology to the interpretation of results and their use in driving evidence-based medicine. The authors end each chapter with their musings, going beyond the evidence or citations, and sometimes even beyond orthodox correctness to share their thoughts and concerns about different aspects of randomized controlled trials, and their role within the health system. Updated to include insights from the last decade, this second edition challenges over-reliance on randomized controlled trials by debating their strengths and limitations and discussing their optimal use in modern healthcare. It also includes a new and increasingly relevant chapter on the ethics of randomized trials. World renowned writers and thinkers Drs Jadad and Enkin bring you this invaluable book for busy health professionals who wish to understand the theory of randomized controlled trials and their influence on clinical, research or policy decisions.