Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 27, 2026

How to Study Placebo Responses in Motion Sickness with a Rotation Chair Paradigm in Healthy Participants
Published on: December 14, 2014
Randomized controlled trials: Ethical and scientific issues in the choice of placebo or active control
Joseph Ogirima Ovosi1, Muhammed Sani Ibrahim2, Beatrice Ohunene Bello-Ovosi3
1Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaduna State University/Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital, Kaduna, Nigeria.
Abstract:
The use of control group in clinical trials has been universally acclaimed by researchers to effectively help discriminate between the actual effects of an intervention and those arising from other factors. However, the choice of the control that provided both scientific and ethical acceptability among researchers has been a source of intense debate. We conducted a literature search on the use of placebo and active controls in clinical trials and X-ray the arguments for and against both choices in randomized control trials and concluded by highlighting the scenarios where the use of placebo is justified.
More Related Videos
04:53A Clinical Trial Assessing the Safety, Efficacy, and Delivery of Olive-Oil-Based Three-Chamber Bags for Parenteral Nutrition
Published on: September 20, 2019
11:51Combining Behavioral Endocrinology and Experimental Economics: Testosterone and Social Decision Making
Published on: March 2, 2011
Related Concept Videos
Blinding
Types of Biopharmaceutical Studies: Controlled and Non-Controlled Approaches
Non-controlled studies, commonly employed for initial exploration, lack a control group, rendering them susceptible to biases and external influences. In contrast,...
Blind Procedures
The Placebo Effect
Controls in Experiments
Randomized Experiments
Simple randomization
Simple...