Handling related publications reporting real-world evidence in network meta-analysis: a case study in multiple sclerosis.

ABSTRACT: Aim: The presence of two or more publications that report on overlapping patient cohorts poses a challenge for quantitatively synthesizing real-world evidence (RWE) studies. Thus, we evaluated eight approaches for handling such related publications in network meta-analyses (NMA) of RWE studies. Methods: Bayesian NMAs were conducted to estimate the annualized relapse rate (ARR) of disease-modifying therapies in multiple sclerosis. The NMA explored the impact of hierarchically selecting one pivotal study from related publications versus including all of them while adjusting for correlations. Results: When selecting one pivotal study from related publications, the ARR ratios were mostly similar regardless of the pivotal study selected. When including all related publicati

SUBMITTER: Betts M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10508334 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature