Is it always unethical to use a placebo in a clinical trial?
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.
Stang
Andreas
A
Institute of Medical Epidemiology, Biometry, and Informatics at the Medical Faculty of the Martin-Luther-University of Halle-Wittenberg, Germany. andreas.stang@medizin.uni-halle.de
Hense
Hans-Werner
HW
Jöckel
Karl-Heinz
KH
Turner
Erick H
EH
Tramèr
Martin R
MR
D004992:Ethics, Medical; D006801:Humans; D010919:Placebos; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic / Q000941:ethics*
D010919:Placebos