Affiliations 

  • 1 Human Research Ethics Committee, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Department of Paediatrics, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 16150 Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia
Malays J Med Sci, 2017 Aug;24(4):1-4.
PMID: 28951684 DOI: 10.21315/mjms2017.24.4.1

Abstract

The use of placebo-controlled trials in situations where established therapies are available is considered ethically problematic since the patients randomised to the placebo group are deprived of the beneficial treatment. The pharmaceutical industry and drug regulators seem to argue that placebo-controlled trials with extensive precautions and control measures in place should still be allowed since they provide necessary scientific evidence for the efficacy and safety of new drugs. On the other hand, the scientific value and usefulness for clinical decision-making may be much higher if the new drug is compared directly to existing therapies. As such, it may still be unethical to impose the burden and risk of placebo-controlled trials on patients even if extensive precautions are taken. A few exceptions do exist. The use of placebo-controlled trials in situations where an established, effective and safe therapy exists remains largely controversial.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.