Validation of a Mixed Model for Repeated Measures Approach to Including Trials with Varying Follow-up in Indirect Treatment Comparisons of Long-Term Outcomes

Author(s)

Walsh S1, Disher T2
1EVERSANA, Burlington, Canada, 2EVERSANA, Burlington, ON, Canada

OBJECTIVES:

Indirect treatment comparison (ITC) methods are required to assess the relative efficacy between treatments when no head-to-head clinical trials are available. However, trials will frequently include a combination of different follow-up lengths, making it challenging to perform long-term comparisons. The aim of this study is to validate a mixed model for repeated measures (MMRM) approach to include trials with various follow-up times in unanchored ITCs of long-term outcomes.

METHODS:

The proposed approach uses a multivariate normal likelihood with unstructured variance covariance matrix which assumes that missing timepoints are missing at random and can be considered similar to an aggregate version of MMRM. This MMRM approach is compared to a simpler model-based network meta-analysis modeling approach with a spline smoothed trend across time and an assumed constant correlation for variance inflation. Models are conducted within a Bayesian framework using aggregate level inputs.

RESULTS:

If there are many timepoints with missing data, applying an MMRM approach can lead to significant improvements in the precision of estimated effects. In situations where final models are combined in random effect meta-analysis, the MMRM approach allows for a more reliable estimate of between trial heterogeneity than is otherwise possible. The MMRM approach can be challenging to implement computationally and in settings where the distance between timepoint measurements or their correlation over time differ.

CONCLUSIONS:

Applying an MMRM approach may be valuable in situations where unanchored comparisons conducted at earlier timepoints are forced to use limited trials at later timepoints due to a lack of long-term data.

Conference/Value in Health Info

2023-05, ISPOR 2023, Boston, MA, USA

Value in Health, Volume 26, Issue 6, S2 (June 2023)

Code

MSR100

Topic

Methodological & Statistical Research

Topic Subcategory

Missing Data

Disease

No Additional Disease & Conditions/Specialized Treatment Areas

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