Optimizing Sample Size Determinations for Phase 3 Clinical Trials in Type 2 Diabetes

An informed estimate of subject-level variance is a key determinate for accurate estimation of the required sample size for clinical trials. Evaluating completed adult Type 2 diabetes studies submitted to the FDA for accuracy of the variance estimate at the planning stage provides insights to inform the sample size requirements for future studies. From the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) database of new drug applications containing 14,106 subjects from 26 phase 3 randomized studies submitted to the FDA in support of drug approvals in adult type 2 diabetes studies reviewed between 2013 and 2017, we obtained estimates of subject-level variance for the primary endpoint-change in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) from baseline to 6 months. In addition, we used nine additional studies to examine the impact of clinically meaningful covariates on residual standard deviation and sample size re-estimation. Our analyses show that reduced sample sizes can be used without interfering with the validity of efficacy results for adult type 2 diabetes drug trials. This finding has implications for future research involving the adult type 2 diabetes population, including the potential to reduce recruitment period length and improve the timeliness of results. Furthermore, our findings could be utilized in the design of future endocrinology clinical trials.