Scott Berry on Rethinking Clinical Trials: Bayesian Design, Adaptivity, and Smarter Decisions

In this episode, we talk to Scott Berry, President and Senior Statistical Scientist at Berry Consultants - a pioneer in adaptive and Bayesian clinical trial design. With more than 25 years of experience designing trials for pharma, biotech, and government agencies, Scott has helped reshape how we think about learning in drug development.

We explore what it really means to “learn as you go” in clinical trials - from the limitations of the traditional frequentist model to the promise of adaptive and Bayesian designs that evolve with the data. Scott breaks down why these methods can de-risk programs, optimize capital use, and accelerate decision-making, while still maintaining scientific and regulatory rigor.

We also discuss adoption barriers, cultural inertia in big pharma and the evolving stance of regulators. Along the way, Scott shares insights on trial efficiency, Bayesian thinking in investment committees, and why he expects future of drug development to look much more Bayesian than it is today.

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