In these trials, the experimental drug may be compared to a treatment that is already FDA-approved instead of a placebo.įor example, in a study in The Lancet, researchers looked at 21 antidepressants used for the acute treatment of adults with major depressive disorder.

However, many clinical trials, such as those in cancer research, do not include placebo groups because it would not be unethical to leave the patient’s cancer untreated. Including a placebo group in a study is also beneficial in evaluating treatment side effects. Typically, an experimental drug treatment needs to be statistically more effective than the placebo to be considered as a valid drug treatment. A patient or researcher would expect those who receive the active drug to have a better outcome than those who did not, and this knowledge can introduce bias into the study. Why are placebos used in drug studies?Ĭonducting a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial helps to eliminate any bias that might occur due to knowledge of who receives which treatments. However, unexpected high placebo rates in clinical trials can be detrimental, undermining the true effect of an active treatment. These studies are called “double-blind” and “placebo-controlled” and are considered the gold standard for experimental drug research. In addition, researchers in the study would not know which patients have received active or placebo treatments. In these clinical trials, one subset of patients would receive the placebo and one group would receive the experimental drug, but neither group is aware of which treatment they have received.

Placebos are often used in clinical trials as an inactive control so that researchers can better evaluate the true overall effect of the experimental drug treatment under study. Physical placebos, or “sham” treatments have also been used, such as inactive acupuncture devices. For example, placebo pills or liquids may contain starch, sugar, or saline. Last updated on May 26, 2022.Ī placebo (or dummy pill) is an inert (inactive) substance, typically a tablet, capsule or other dose form that does not contain an active drug ingredient. Medically reviewed by Leigh Ann Anderson, PharmD.

Placebo meditation