Is there a need to control the placebo in placebo controlled trials?

Is there a need to control the placebo in placebo controlled trials?

Placebo controlled trials.

Researchers assessed the efficacy of varenicline (a licensed cigarette smoking cessation aid) in helping users of smokeless tobacco to quit. A double blind placebo controlled parallel group randomised controlled trial study design was used. The intervention was varenicline 1 mg twice daily. Treatment was delivered for 12 weeks, with 14 weeks’ follow-up afterwards. Participants were aged 18 year...

Alternatives to placebo-controlled trials in psychiatry

Patients receiving placebo do not merely receive an inert substance but also receive support, concern, and reassurance that assists the therapeutic alliance and encourages the positive attitude that forms the basis of cognitive treatment. Response to non-specific factors is seen in all fields of medicine but is particularly potent in psychiatry. The placebo response is variable across settings ...

placebo-controlled trials in osteoporosis: ethical challenges

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Placebo-Controlled Trials in Surgery

This systematic review was performed to investigate the ethical justification, methodological quality, validity and safety of placebo controls in randomized placebo-controlled surgical trials.Central, MEDLINE, and EMBASE were systematically searched to identify randomized controlled trials comparing a surgical procedure to a placebo. "Surgical procedure" was defined as a medical procedure invol...