Statistical reporting of clinical pharmacology research

Research in clinical pharmacology covers a wide range of experiments, trials and investigations: clinical trials, systematic reviews and meta-analyses of drug usage after market approval, the investigation of pharmacokinetic–pharmacodynamic relationships, the search for mechanisms of action or for potential signals for efficacy and safety using biomarkers. Often these investigations are exploratory in nature, which has implications for the way the data should be analysed and presented. Here we summarize some of the statistical issues that are of particular importance in clinical pharmacology research.