Podcast Episode
August 18, 2025
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25: A Discussion with Michael Proschan on Response-Adaptive Randomization

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Scott Berry, Ph.D.
President & Senior Statistical Scientist
In this episode of "In the Interim…", Dr. Scott Berry and NIH’s Dr. Michael Proschan conduct a detailed discussion from opposing viewpoints on response-adaptive randomization (RAR) in clinical trials.

In this episode of "In the Interim…", Dr. Scott Berry and NIH’s Dr. Michael Proschan conduct a detailed discussion from opposing viewpoints on response-adaptive randomization (RAR) in clinical trials. The discussion focuses on where they agree – on the positives and negatives of RAR, and where they disagree on its scientific use.

Key Highlights

  • Potential issues of using RAR: Potential temporal trends, unblinding, reduction in statistical efficiency in 2-arm trials

  • Potential benefits include improved statistical efficiency in multi-arm trials depending on the goals (e.g. dose-finding trials).

  • Potential unblinding of results in non-blinded trials and the need for operational excellence.

  • Ethical and Bayesian perspectives are considered, but emphasis remains empirical.

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