Why is the placebo used in clinical trials?

One of the commonly asked questions regarding placebos is; why is the placebo used in clinical trials? In this article, we will discuss what placebos are and why are they used in clinical trials for new drugs and medications.

What is it?

Placebo is an integral part of clinical research. It is an inert, harmless substance that looks similar to the treatments being tested but has no active ingredient. When a new oral drug is being tested in a clinical trial, the placebo is like a sugar pill. These inert medicinal interventions could be in many different forms but are expected to generate their effects due to the expectation factor. When a person takes a pill, he generally expects a result or an outcome. That outcome is used to help researchers in drug efficiency. 

Placebo-controlled trial

Most of the clinical research consists of the use of a placebo to determine drug effectiveness. A placebo-controlled trial is such in which subjects are divided in groups. One of the groups is given the investigational drug while the other is given a placebo. This gives the researchers a full understanding of how the drug actually affects the patients as results are compared. Placebo-controlled trials can be of two types; single-blind study and double-blind study.

• Single-blind study

In such a trial only the person taking part in the drug trials does not know whether he is receiving investigational treatment or a placebo. 

• Double-blind Study

This means that the researchers and the people taking part in the study are unaware of who is given the investigational drug or the placebo. This ensures that all participants are treated equally no matter what treatment they are given. In such a study, researchers are not able to influence the study in any way. 

The placebo effect

If a person is taking a placebo unknowingly, the notion that he might be taking something that will make him feel better or respond in some way generates a change which is known as the placebo effect. Depending on the level of belief or faith in the treatment the person can exhibit positive results or negative too, in case he believes the treatment will cause harm. The treatment taken by placebo subjects is inert and has no medicinal value but the mere thought that it will generate some sort of effect gives the placebo effect. It has been proven numerously that the placebo takes those effects that the brain perceives regarding the treatment.

Why use placebos?

Placebos have been a significant part of clinical studies as they enable researchers to compare therapies and rule out ones that are not actually effective or safe. They provide evidence to drug regulatory bodies regarding the effectiveness of drugs and their approval. Placebos play a vital role in analyzing the effectiveness of new drugs and with their consistent use, new drugs are formed which help so many people feel better.

Use of placebos as an inactive control is an integral part of drug research which helps the researchers to better evaluate the actual overall effect of the investigational drug treatment being scrutinized. Drug efficiency is determined by the use of a placebo in drug clinical research. When evaluating and analyzing the effects of a new drug, it is essential to find ways to weaken or eliminate the effect of expectations that may impact the outcome. This is exactly what placebo controls in a drug trial and rules out all the effects of expectations on the drug impact.

It is true that placebos are a great help for researchers in drug or clinical trials and their use cannot be undermined at any cost.