Testing of Hypothesis in Equivalence and Non Inferiority Trials-A Concept

J Clin Diagn Res. 2016 Apr;10(4):LG01-3. doi: 10.7860/JCDR/2016/17748.7547. Epub 2016 Apr 1.

Abstract

Establishing the appropriate hypothesis is one of the important steps for carrying out the statistical tests/analysis. Its understanding is important for interpreting the results of statistical analysis. The current communication attempts to provide the concept of testing of hypothesis in non inferiority and equivalence trials, where the null hypothesis is just reverse of what is set up for conventional superiority trials. It is similarly looked for rejection for establishing the fact the researcher is intending to prove. It is important to mention that equivalence or non inferiority cannot be proved by accepting the null hypothesis of no difference. Hence, establishing the appropriate statistical hypothesis is extremely important to arrive at meaningful conclusion for the set objectives in research.

Keywords: Equivalence trials; Statistical hypothesis.