Basic Principles and Application of Statistics in Drug Research

Abstract

Statistics is the branch of mathematics that deals with the collection, organization and analysis of data collected from research on a study sample and drawing conclusions about the whole population. Statistics help make decisions which are less biased, establish causality and evaluate interference from other confounding factors. Statistics helps in multiple scenarios including determining the dose response relationship, quantifying the drug’s action and differentiating it from confounding factors, to establish a superior treatment from other candidates, to establish the safety of the drug, etc. The most important component of good statistics is good data. Data can be either qualitative or quantitative. The statistical tests depend on the type of data selected measuring the research objective. Differentiating causality and association is discussed in the following chapter along with common terms and concepts used commonly in research.