Tips for understanding Non-inferiority Trials

“Trials to show superiority generally penalize the sloppy investigator (although not always; improper handling of missing data can benefit a more toxic, less efficacious treatment, potentially increasing the possibility of a false finding in a superiority trial). By contrast, non-inferiority trials tend to reward the careless. The less rigorously conducted the trial, the easier it can be to show non-inferiority.” From an article in the journal, Trials, entitled, “Through the looking glass: understanding non-inferiority.”