Symmetrical confidence intervals for bioequivalence trials.

The conventional method of setting confidence intervals for the difference of the means of two normal populations gives an interval which is not, in general, symmetrical about zero. A modification of the conventional method which leads to symmetry about zero is discussed and is recommended as particularly appropriate for use in bioequivalence trials. This modification has the effect of decreasing the "effective" length of the confidence interval, on which the decision concerning bioequivalence is based, while increasing the confidence coefficient.