|
A placebo is a substance that looks like a trial medication but does not contain active drug. It is sometimes referred to as a sugar pill. The placebo is a pill if the trial medication is a pill, and it is an injection if the trial medication is an injection.
Placebos may seem unfair or unethical. Why would a doctor give something that does not work to someone who needs treatment? Placebos are used to help determine if an experimental medication works. Some people get the medication, other people get placebo, and the results are compared. That way, researchers can see if the medication being studied really works.
In some studies that use placebos there are two evenly divided groups: those on placebo and those on active study medication. Each participant in the study is assigned by chance to one of the two groups in a process called randomization. Randomization is like flipping a coin to see who gets what, the medication or the placebo. It is used to make sure that there is no bias in the trial.
Trials that use placebos are usually double-blind, which means that neither the research doctor, study coordinator, nor the trial participant knows which medication the participant is taking. If both the research team and the trial participant know which medication is being used, then the trial is open-label.
Not all trials use placebos. But if the informed consent form says that a trial uses a placebo, ask lots of questions. Also, 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.
|
