---
title: Fusion Designs for Indirect Treatment Effects
description: >-
  Explore this publication on real-world evidence: Fusion Designs for Indirect
  Treatment Effects.
date: '2022-01-01'
author: Alexander Breskin
category: Publications
tags:
  - Society for Epidemiology Research (SER)
  - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  - Approval & Commercialization
  - 'Yes'
  - Health System Partner
  - Oral Presentation
  - Methods/Pharmacoepi
  - R&D
canonical_url: >-
  https://www.headwaterscience.com/resources/publications/pub-society-for-epidemiology-research-ser/fusion-designs-for-indirect-treatment-effects/
source: Headwater Science
license: © 2026 Headwater Science. All rights reserved.
slug: fusion-designs-for-indirect-treatment-effects
id: kUSVmMVnZHW4JfNOV2lcF
contentType: article
---

## Challenge

Fusion study designs that combine data from multiple sources to estimate indirect treatment effects lacked a formal estimator and identification framework, limiting their application to complex drug development questions.

## Solution

Target RWE researchers developed and presented a formal estimator for indirect treatment effects using fusion designs, extending the fusion framework to handle treatment comparisons across multiple studies with shared arms.

## Impact

Establishing a rigorous estimator for indirect treatment effects using fusion designs provides pharma partners with a principled method for generating bridged treatment comparisons when head-to-head trials are unavailable.

## Use Cases / Links

Fusion design estimator for indirect treatment effect comparisons in pharma drug development evidence synthesis, Bridged treatment comparison methodology for regulatory submissions without head-to-head trial data