Project Overview

Under the supervision of Dr. Ofir Harari, I performed the Statistical Analysis for this paper which aimed at investigating the requirement of exact matched placebos as compared to non-matched placebos in randomised clinical trials.

Matched vs Nonmatched Placebos in a Randomized Trial of COVID-19 Treatments This study evaluated whether nonmatched placebos (differing in dose, frequency, or formulation) versus matched placebos impact clinical outcomes in COVID-19 therapeutic trials. Analyzing data from a large platform trial involving 2684 symptomatic outpatients, the study found no significant differences in hospitalization rates, quality of life measures, or overall treatment effect estimation between nonmatched and matched placebo groups. These findings suggest that nonmatched placebos can be effectively used in clinical trials, potentially enhancing statistical power and reducing implementation barriers.