Is the Use of Placebos Ethically Justified and are there Any Alternatives that can be of Equal Benefit in Advancing Current Medical Knowledge?

Abstract

It is a well-established principle that, in order for a new drug to be proven effective, its therapeutic benefit to human subjects should be measured against that of either current established therapies, placebo, or, ideally, both. However, it can be argued that the use of placebo when alternative treatments are available contravenes the Declaration of Helsinki, as well as the Nuremberg Code which preceded it. This article puts forward arguments in favour of the use of placebos, and the ethical justifications behind this approach, that may be used by researchers when considering the design of a new trial.