Re: Interesting Article on Placebo Effect in drug trials

[Guest guest]

Ken

You are right, I did. To summarize briefly for others, the article was

about the placebo effect and the increasing impact. It focused partially

on psychiatric meds but then included meds of all types. People want to

believe they're on the real med and advertising and promotion is

increasing everywhere. So, the improvements being reported even by those

on placebo has increased. Understanding this pushes pharmaceuticals to

trying to design the tests better. But it also serves as a warning that

until all trials are complete and a true comparison can be made any

conclusions reached are greatly subject to question.

I guess if its a psychiatric med and my anxiety or depression is reduced

from just thinking the med is working, I'm happy anyway. But if its a

treatment for cancer and I think I'm benefiting when I'm not truly its

of more concern. There is another side to this too, the nocebo effect.

That is that we anticipate side effects and may have them to a

significant degree even on the placebo.

I researched a few years ago a treatment for depression which was being

pushed hard by UTSW. It was VNS, Vagus Nerve Simulation. Well, the

initial report of helping 25% of the patients seemed good. But then you

saw the placebo helped 15%. So, this meant that the true impact of the

med was probably around 10%. But then you look at the small size of the

research group and find that all the conclusions were reached on the

basis of difference of 2 patients. Thats right, only a total of 2 more

patients seemed helped by the procedure than the placebo. Now, in

talking to counselors and psychiatrists who observed use of this

procedure in the real world afterwords, the ones I talked to had known

several to try it but did not have a single success story. In fact most

patients were more depressed because of the side effects. I've read

studies published and opinions formed by reputable doctors and posted

even here when once you looked at the underlying study you found it only

had a total of 4 patients involved.

Thanks for the article, Ken.

>

> I think Bruce would enjoy reading this article.

>

http://www.wired.com/medtech/drugs/magazine/17-09/ff_placebo_effect?curr\

entPage=all

> " Placebos Are Getting More Effective. Drugmakers Are Desperate to Know

Why. "

> Ken Baker UIP/IPF 12/05 New Hampshire

>