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Table 1 How summary results of clinical trials can be misleading even when everyone gets the same relative risk reduction.

From: Assessing and reporting heterogeneity in treatment effects in clinical trials: a proposal

Assumption: Treatment reduces baseline risk by 25% without any treatment related harm

 

Control Event Rate*

(CER, %)

Experimental Event Rate

(EER, %)

Relative Risk Reduction (RRR)

Absolute Risk Reduction

(ARR)

Number Needed to Treat (NNT)

   (% of study population)

     

Overall result (100%)

8

6

0.25

0.02

50

   Average risk subjects (75%)

4

3

0.25

0.01

100

   High risk subjects (25%)

20

15

0.25

0.05

20

  1. * See Appendix 1