Is It Always Unethical to Use a Placebo in a Clinical Trial?
<p>Background to the debate: Placebos are used in trials to conceal whether a treatment is being given or not and hence to control for the psychosomatic effects of offering treatment. Placebo-controlled trials are controversial. Critics of such trials argue that if a proven effective therapy e...
| Format: | Article |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2005-01-01
|
| Series: | PLoS Medicine |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.0020072.20050521 |
| Summary: | <p>Background to the debate: Placebos are used in trials to conceal whether a treatment is being given or not and hence to control for the psychosomatic effects of offering treatment. Placebo-controlled trials are controversial. Critics of such trials argue that if a proven effective therapy exists, a placebo should not be used. But proponents argue that placebo trials are still crucial to prove the efficacy and safety of many treatments.</p> |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1549-1277 1549-1676 |