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Assessing exchangeability in indirect and mixed treatment comparisons
Authors Alemayehu D
Published 20 June 2011 Volume 2011:1 Pages 51—55
DOI https://doi.org/10.2147/CER.S21307
Review by Single anonymous peer review
Peer reviewer comments 4
Demissie Alemayehu
Pfizer, Inc, Statistics Department, New York, USA
Abstract: In comparative effectiveness research (CER), investigators often resort to methods of indirect and mixed treatment comparisons, due to the unavailability of head-to-head comparative data from randomized clinical trials for competing treatment options. However, implicit in the available indirect comparison techniques is an assumption of exchangeability, which in practice cannot be conclusively verified. This paper discusses the implications of violations of this assumption, and describes approaches to evaluate its validity and steps that may be taken to minimize the impact on conclusions drawn from such studies.
Keywords: network meta-analysis, heterogeneity, comparative effectiveness research, systematic review
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