ABSTRACT
The science of developing and refming data analysis methods for use in veterinary clinical trials has received little attention in recent years, compared to the extensive literature published on methodologies for human studies. This is surprising when it is recognised that the world's population of companion and production animals must be in excess of one billion. At some time in their life,
198 Veterinary Clinical Trials from Concept to Completion
the majority of these animals will receive medical treatment, either to control diseases that affect health and production or in the interest of the animal's welfare. Indeed, many of these animals will be the beneficiaries of daily or weekly administrations of products that have undergone years of research and development (R&D) before being licensed for use. In the United Kingdom alone, there are around 40 million sheep vaccinated annually to protect them from viral and bacterial infections. In Europe, there are many millions of companion animals that constantly require treatment to protect them against endoparasites and ectoparasites such as helminths, lice, fleas and ticks. The total annual usage of veterinary medicines is enormous, and the use of other health products such as nutritional diets for companion animals increases annually.
