Effect of Placebo Drugs

1. EFFECT OF PLACEBO DRUGS
Instructor: Milgrace E. Nonesa , RPh

2. Placebos
 inactive substances or interventions, most often used in
controlled studies for comparison with potentially active
drugs.
 The term placebo (Latin for “I will please”)
 inactive, harmless substance given to patients to
make them feel better by the power of suggestion.
 The term is sometimes used for an active drug that is
given solely for its placebo effect on a disorder in which
the drug is inactive (eg, an antibiotic for patients with
viral illness).

3. What are some examples of
placebos?
• A placebo is a pill, injection, or thing that appears
to be a medical treatment, but isn't.
• An example of a placebo would be a sugar pill
that's used in a control group during a clinical trial.
• The placebo effect is when an improvement of
symptoms is observed, despite using a nonactive
treatment.

4. What is the difference between
placebo and drug?

5. What is the difference between
placebo and drug?
• The variability of the effectiveness of a drug is also
much lower than that of a placebo; the
effectiveness of drugs is fairly consistent, while
the effectiveness of placebo ranges widely across
patients. However, when a placebo is effective, the
magnitude of that effect matches that of a drug