Authors' reply

摘要

Verstraete and colleagues are correct that our study would not have had adequate power to detect a treatment effect of similar size to that of riluzole. The sample size of 250 patients and the futility stopping rule used in our trial design-which were chosen because of the large effect seen in the pilot study and lack of reproducibility of clinical data by other amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) scientists-would have allowed the study to continue if there was a positive effect after 85 patients were assessed.