using surrogate markers for disease: are they really appropriate?
An important article (i think) just came out that evaluated the robustness of surrogate markers as accurate substitutes for clinical outcomes, finding many concerns (see surrogate markers concerns JAMA2024 in dropbox, or doi:10.1001/jama.2024.4175) Details : -- researchers accessed the FDA Adult Surrogate Endpoint Table (with >100 entries) and MEDLINE from the inception of th is FDA table in 2018 to March 2023, evaluating the correlation between the surrogate markers and clinical endpoints found in the relevant meta-analyses (though they excluded oncologic treatments) -- 37 surrogate markers were identified for 32 unique nononcologic chronic diseases Results (my comments are embedded in the review of many of the individual surrogate markers below) : -- for 22 (59%) of the surrogate markers in 21 chronic diseases, no eligible meta-analysis was identified -- 17 (77%...