Criteria for the use of placebo in clinical trials: Ethical considerations

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Carlos Celedón L.

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Abstract

Placebo could be defined as a simulated medical therapy with no specific effects on the subject of investigation. The “placebo effect”, i.e., the psychological and physiological effects of placebo on the organism, despite its being biologically inactive, is analyzed. Double-blind studies, in which a group of patients receives treatment with the evaluated drug, while a second group is given placebo, is currently the method of choice when testing new drugs. The Helsinki declaration recommendations on placebo utilization are analyzed, and the ethical implications are discussed.


 

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