Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28592271›Full record

Trial reportTrials2017

Simulating therapeutic drug monitoring results for dose individualisation to maintain investigator blinding in a randomised controlled trial.

Maia Lesosky, John Joska, Eric Decloedt

Abstract readClinical Trial, Phase IIRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Trials, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Maia LesoskyDivision of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health and Family Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa. lesosky@gmail.com.ORCID 0000-0002-2026-958X
John JoskaDivision of Neuropsychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa.
Eric DecloedtDivision of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, Western Cape, South Africa.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTherapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) is essential practice when dosing drugs with a narrow therapeutic index in order to achieve a plasma drug concentration within a narrow target range above the efficacy concentration but below the toxicity concentration. However, TDM with dose individualisation is challenging during a double-blind clinical trial with laboratory staff and investigators blinded to treatment arm allocation.

methodsDrug concentrations were simulated for participants in the placebo arm by an unblinded independent statistician, utilising the measured values from the treatment arm participants. Simulated and actual concentrations were re-blinded and passed on to a dose-adjusting investigator, who made dose adjustment recommendations but was not directly responsible for clinical care of participants.

resultsA total of 257 sham lithium plasma concentrations were simulated utilising 242 true lithium plasma concentrations in real time as the trial progressed. The simulated values had a median (interquartile range) of 0.59 (0.46, 0.72) compared to 0.53 (0.39, 0.72) in the treatment arm. Blinding of the laboratory staff and dose-adjusting investigator was maintained successfully.

conclusionsWe succeeded in simulating sham lithium plasma concentrations while maintaining blinding. Our simulated values have a smaller range than the observed data, which can be explained by the challenges with respect to drug adherence and dose timing that were experienced.

trial registrationPan African Clinical Trials Registry, PACTR201310000635418 . Registered on 30 August 2013.

Indexed as

Computer SimulationDrug Dosage CalculationsCentral Nervous System AgentsClinical ProtocolsDouble-Blind MethodDrug MonitoringHIV InfectionsHumansLithium CompoundsNeurocognitive DisordersPredictive Value of TestsResearch DesignTime FactorsTreatment OutcomeCentral Nervous System AgentsLithium CompoundsBlindingDose adjustmentSimulation

Identifiers

PMID28592271
PMCPMC5463313

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.