What is a Placebo?
A placebo is commonly known as a sugar pill. It is a substance that looks identical to the trial medication (whether it is a pill, liquid, or shot) but does not contain any active drug. Placebos have no effect on the body. In a clinical trial the investigators sometimes compare an experimental drug with a placebo to determine if the experimental drug works. If a trial you are considering uses a placebo, find out if you will eventually have a chance to get the experimental medication as part of your participation in the trial if the drug is shown to work.
A placebo is an inactive pill, liquid, or powder that has no treatment value (inactive substance). In clinical trials, experimental treatments are often compared with placebos to assess the experimental treatment’s effectiveness. In some studies, the subjects in the control group will receive a placebo instead of an active drug or experimental treatment. The reason why subjects are given a placebo is because scientists should be able to tell if there is a difference between those who get the study drug or experimental treatment and those who do not. Neither the subjects nor the doctors and scientists know who gets the study drug or treatment and who gets the placebo until after the trial is completed, which makes the trial ‘double-blinded’.
A placebo is a fake or dummy treatment. A common example is a tablet containing no active medicine but which looks exactly like the tablet containing the medicine being tested. It allows researchers to make allowance for the ‘placebo effect’. This is a psychological response where people feel better even though the treatment they are receiving is inactive. By comparing people’s responses to the placebo and to the treatment being tested, researchers can tell whether the treatment has any real benefit over and above the placebo effect. Treatments can also be compared with other treatments that represent usual care to tell if a newer treatment is better, the same or worse than established treatments.
A placebo is an inactive pill, liquid, or powder that has no treatment value. In clinical trials, experimental treatments are often compared with placebos to assess the experimental treatment’s effectiveness. In some studies, the participants in the control group will receive a placebo instead of an active drug or experimental treatment.
