Ann: Mesoblast Update on COVID-19 ARDS Trial, page-620

• A trial testing Mesoblast's (MSB) remestemcel-L treatment in ventilated COVID-19 patients has ceased enrolment early as valid data can't be obtained
• Only 223 of the planned 300 patients have been treated, but the trial won't proceed as planned as primary endpoint data would be invalid
• The trial was targeting a "43 per cent reduction in mortality at 30 days for treatment with remestemcel-L on top of maximal care"
• But "maximal care" has evolved and patients aren't receiving the same treatments across the board, diluting the clinical rigour of the study

therald.com.au/mesoblasts-asxmsb-covid-19-trial-called-off-early-2020-12-18/

So now the data obtained would be "invalid" because "maximal care has evolved" and "patients aren't receiving the same treatments"

Where did this come from? SI?

The patients were receiving "maximal care", presumably in line with the study protocol. It was never likely that they would be receiving exactly the same treatments. In what way would the data gathered be "invalid" if they were being treated in accordance with the study protocol?

This is like saying. Well the football match got called off half way through the second half because we were losing when we were expected to win. Somehow the other side played better than we thought they would so we called off the match cos the result would have been invalid and you can't say we lost because the game didn't finish. And I think if we go back and count the number of completed passes, off-sides and penalties you'll see we played better than them in some respects.