The randomized controlled trial represents the gold standard in clinical trial design, but large phase III studies are difficult and expensive to conduct in neurological diseases. In this Perspectives article, Koch and colleagues argue that the futility trial, a phase II design first developed in the oncology field, should be used more widely by neurologists. The authors describe how futility trials could be employed in Parkinson disease, stroke, multiple sclerosis and other conditions.
- Marcus W. Koch
- Lawrence Korngut
- Luanne Metz