Placebos and pain
2015-10-09 01:13:15.076434+02 by Dan Lyke 0 comments
Back in '09 I first ran across the notion that the placebo effect is getting stronger. Nature: Strong placebo response thwarts painkiller trials
Based on patients’ ratings of their pain, the effect of trialled drugs in relieving symptoms stayed the same over the 23-year period — but placebo responses rose. In 1996, patients in clinical trials reported that drugs relieved their pain by 27% more than did a placebo. But by 2013, that gap had slipped to just 9%. The phenomenon is driven by 35 US trials; among trials in Europe, Asia and elsewhere, there was no significant change in placebo reponses.The analysis is in press in the journal Pain1