# R

## First example: Pneumonia finding from initial hydroxychloroquine RCT only requires 1 ‘switch’ to invalidate

The first report of a randomized trial regarding hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) came from a study conducted at the Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University. The table below shows the association between treatment (HCQ vs conventional) and condition (improved vs exacerbated/ucnhanged). For Table 1, $$χ^2= 4.7$$, $$p = 0.03$$, and the authors concluded that HCQ was efficacious. Table 1. Association between hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) vs Conventional Treatments and Pneumonia on Chest CT To quantify the robustness of the inference, we calculate the number of treatment cases that would need to be switched from “improved” to “exacerbated or unchanged” to change the inference – a quantity we refer to as the Robustness of the Inference to Switches (RIS).

## From early RCT: effect of Remdesivir on mortality could go either way

Consider the recent randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of Remdesivir for patients with severe COVID-19. The study found no discernable difference in mortality: Twenty-two of $$158$$ ($$14\%$$) Remdesivir patients died within $$28$$ days while $$10$$ of $$78$$ ($$13\%$$) in the placebo group died (Table 1). How different would the results have to be in the current study to change statistical inference about Remdesivir? Table 1. Comparison of Remdesivir vs Placebo Control on Mortality.