Doherty-led COVID-19 trial recognised for excellence in trial statistics
The Australasian COVID-19 Trial (ASCOT), led by Professor Steven Tong from the Department of Infectious Diseases, has been awarded the prestigious 2023 Australian Clinical Trials Alliance Excellence in Statistics Award.
Image credit: Australian Clinical Trials Alliance
Competing against all Australian-led clinical trials published in 2022, the award recognises a large team involving patients, hospitals and their research teams across four countries, clinician scientist investigators, and the statisticians who designed, analysed and reported on the trial.
The team used a method called an adaptive platform trial, which provides the flexibility to remove interventions that are not working and to introduce new interventions. This was particularly important during the COVID-19 pandemic when knowledge was advancing quickly.
However, the flexible approach brings challenges in appropriately analysing and presenting the data. Their statistical team provided a novel approach that powerfully summarised all the data and transparently reported on each of the different ‘cohorts’ that entered or exited the platform over time.