Does Drug Labeling Affect Treatment Outcome?

The study results raise intriguing questions for further research. “Given the potential health benefit of enabling a patient to improve by taking nothing more than a sugar pill rather than a drug with possible harmful side effects, is it ethical to prescribe placebo secretly in routine clinical care?” asked Dr. Burstein. “Should a physician attempt to maximize expectations if doing so would increase drug efficacy and reduce consumption?”

—Erik Greb