Is it always unethical to use a placebo in a clinical trial?

BACKGROUND TO THE DEBATE: Placebos are used in trials to conceal whether a treatment is being given or not and hence to control for the psychosomatic effects of offering treatment. Placebo-controlled trials are controversial. Critics of such trials argue that if a proven effective therapy exists, a...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Andreas Stang, Hans-Werner Hense, Karl-Heinz Jöckel, Erick H Turner, Martin R Tramèr
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2005-03-01
Series:PLoS Medicine
Online Access:http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC1069666?pdf=render