Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29702658›Full record

ArticlePloS one2018

Use of weighted multivariate estimates in trials of multi-serotype vaccines to simplify interpretation of treatment differences.

Merryn Voysey, Andrew J Pollard, Rafael Perera, Shrijana Shrestha, Stephen Thorson, Thomas R Fanshawe

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In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

6 authors.

Merryn VoyseyNuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0001-6324-6559
Andrew J PollardOxford Vaccine Group, Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
Rafael PereraNuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
Shrijana ShresthaPaediatric Research Unit, Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal.
Stephen ThorsonPaediatric Research Unit, Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal.
Thomas R FanshaweNuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMany vaccines contain multiple components. Licensed pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV) contain polysaccharides from 7, 10, or 13 different serotypes of Streptococcus pneumoniae. The main outcomes in randomised trials of pneumococcal vaccines are serotype-specific antibody measures. Comparisons are made between groups for each serotype, resulting in multiple separate comparisons of treatment effects which can be complicated to interpret. We investigated methods for computing the overall difference between vaccine groups across all serotypes.

methodsPneumococcal antibody concentrations were obtained from a randomised controlled trial of ten-valent pneumococcal vaccine, conducted in Kathmandu, Nepal. Infants received either 2 priming doses of vaccine at 6 and 14 weeks of age followed by a booster (2+1), or 3 priming doses at 6, 10, and 14 weeks of age with no booster (3+0). The overall difference between vaccine schedules across all serotypes was computed at each visit using a multivariate linear model with equal weights for each serotype. Alternative weights were derived from invasive pneumococcal disease cases in Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan, and from estimates of the relative invasiveness of each serotype and used in sensitivity analyses.

resultsWhen 10 separate estimates of treatment differences were computed the ratio of antibody responses for each serotype in the 2+1 group compared with the 3+0 group at 10 months of age varied greatly, with serotype-specific GMRs ranging from 2.80 for serotype 14, to 9.14 for serotype 18C. Using equal weights for each serotype, the overall geometric mean ratio (GMR) was 5.02 (95% CI 4.06-6.22) at 10 months of age, and 1.46 (95% CI 1.14-1.88) at 3 years of age. Using weights based on disease incidence gave GMRs ranging from 5.15 to 6.63 at 10 months of age, and 1.47 to 1.78 at 3 years of age. Using weights based on relative invasiveness gave estimates of 6.81 and 1.59, at 10 months and 3 years respectively.

conclusionPCV clinical trial data have a multivariate structure with correlated outcomes for different serotypes. When analysing each serotype separately, the multiple estimates of the treatment effect can complicate the interpretation of trial results. Reporting a single overall estimate which accounts for the correlation between outcomes can simplify such interpretation. Treatment effects can be weighted equally or alternative weights derived from independent data can be used. Many modern vaccines have multiple components, such as quadrivalent meningococcal group ACWY vaccine or four-component group B meningococcal vaccine, thus these methods are widely applicable.

Indexed as

AdolescentAntibodies, BacterialBangladeshChildChild, PreschoolDrug Administration ScheduleFemaleHeptavalent Pneumococcal Conjugate VaccineHumansInfantMaleNepalPakistanPneumococcal InfectionsRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicStreptococcus pneumoniaeAntibodies, BacterialHeptavalent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine

Identifiers

PMID29702658
PMCPMC5922548

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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.