Table 2.

Differences between randomised controlled trials and real-world studies

Randomised controlled trials	Real-world studies
Quantifies efficacy of drug	Measures effectiveness of therapy; includes health outcomes and resource utilization
Interventional	Primarily observational
Comparison to gold standard or placebo	Comparison to standard clinical practice
Double blind/open label	Open label
Restrictive inclusion/exclusion criteria	Broad inclusion/exclusion criteria
Adherence encouraged and monitored	Set in normal care setting
Frequent study visits	No extra visits
Drugs provided	Drugs prescribed and collected in normal way