johnasmodeus
08-24-2009, 07:14 PM
http://www.wired.com/medtech/drugs/magazine/17-09/ff_placebo_effect
some products that have been on the market for decades, like prozac, are faltering in more recent follow-up tests. in many cases, these are the compounds that, in the late '90s, made big pharma more profitable than big oil. but if these same drugs were vetted now, the fda might not approve some of them. two comprehensive analyses of antidepressant trials have uncovered a dramatic increase in placebo response since the 1980s. one estimated that the so-called effect size (a measure of statistical significance) in placebo groups had nearly doubled over that time.
it's not that the old meds are getting weaker, drug developers say. it's as if the placebo effect is somehow getting stronger.
the fact that an increasing number of medications are unable to beat sugar pills has thrown the industry into crisis. the stakes could hardly be higher. in today's economy, the fate of a long-established company can hang on the outcome of a handful of tests.
why are inert pills suddenly overwhelming promising new drugs and established medicines alike?
why, indeed. could it be that the influence of the individual's expectation is growing in power?
some products that have been on the market for decades, like prozac, are faltering in more recent follow-up tests. in many cases, these are the compounds that, in the late '90s, made big pharma more profitable than big oil. but if these same drugs were vetted now, the fda might not approve some of them. two comprehensive analyses of antidepressant trials have uncovered a dramatic increase in placebo response since the 1980s. one estimated that the so-called effect size (a measure of statistical significance) in placebo groups had nearly doubled over that time.
it's not that the old meds are getting weaker, drug developers say. it's as if the placebo effect is somehow getting stronger.
the fact that an increasing number of medications are unable to beat sugar pills has thrown the industry into crisis. the stakes could hardly be higher. in today's economy, the fate of a long-established company can hang on the outcome of a handful of tests.
why are inert pills suddenly overwhelming promising new drugs and established medicines alike?
why, indeed. could it be that the influence of the individual's expectation is growing in power?