Bioequivalence and Bioavailability Forum

Dear Croosov,

❝ While I was reading the literature you recommended I wondered if it isn't possible to use a generalized linear model? If not why?

Before we apply any statistical method (not only a test, but already reporting the location and dispersion of a sample) we must understand the data-generating process and the original / resulting / observed distribution.
Dependent on the data structure particular transformations, tests, etc. are possible – and others are not. Simple example: You had 12 males and 10 females in a study. Would you code them with 1/2 and report “sex = 1.455”? It does not make sense (and statistically speaking it is not even allowed) to calculate the arithmetic mean of categorial data.

Although the distribution of the t_max in the population likely is continuous (actually a “ratio scale” with a true zero-point) what we get in a study is coming from a discrete distribution (due to our sampling schedule). Therefore, we can only apply statistics suitable for an ordinal scale (location: median, dispersion: percentiles, tests: Wilcoxon and its “relatives”). The late Carl Metzler once suggested to run a GLM not on the raw data but on their ranks, but I have never seen an example in the wild.

❝ I am still not so familiar with statistics so please apologize this question (if it is not an "intelligent" one)...

There are no unintelligent questions. Maybe some answers are.