Discussion on 'A Hybrid Selection and Testing Procedure with Curtailment in Comparative Clinical Trials' by Elena M. Buzaianu and Pinyuen Chen

摘要

This article provides a review of the important article by Buzaianu and Chen, appearing in this issue. While their recommended procedure is of interest, there are several practical considerations that would detract clinical trialists from applying these procedures. Six concerns are mentioned, including the definition of "correct selection" as finding a treatment truly superior to the control, continuation of the control therapy even after it was found to be inferior to an active treatment, and elimination of active treatments without definitive evidence it is inferior to other active treatments.