A Bayesian equivalency test for two independent binomial proportions

ABSTRACT

In clinical trials, it is often necessary to perform an equivalence study. The equivalence study requires actively denoting equivalence between two different drugs or treatments. Since it is not possible to assert equivalence that is not rejected by a superiority test, statistical methods known as equivalency tests have been suggested. These methods for equivalency tests are based on the frequency framework; however, there are few such methods in the Bayesian framework. Hence, this article proposes a new index that suggests the equivalency of binomial proportions, which is constructed based on the Bayesian framework. In this study, we provide two methods for calculating the index and compare the probabilities that have been calculated by these two calculation methods. Moreover, we apply this index to the results of actual clinical trials to demonstrate the utility of the index.

KEYWORDS:

• Bayesian inference
• equivalency test
• independent binomial proportions

Acknowledgments

We are very grateful to the editor and two referees for their invaluable comments. The authors would also like to thank Dr. Izumi Sato for his helpful comments and suggestion.