

In a Parachute-Effectiveness Trial, Who Gets the Placebo? - astrec
http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/08/in-a-parachute-effectiveness-trial-who-gets-the-placebo/

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Protophore
The article cited in the NY Times: <http://tinyurl.com/6ol8fk> Is a bit
absurd. While I agree that in some instances it is beneficial to test drugs
without a placebo group, the placebo effect has been demonstrated repeatedly.

I can't seem to find a link to the article, but I recall reading one recently
in which people were given the same painkiller but told that it the price
anywhere from $0.10/pill to $10/pill (or something along those lines). People
taking the "expensive" painkillers rated their level of relief much higher
than those taking the "cheaper" pill.

Sure, in some situations (Cancer, AIDS, etc) we may want to do away with a
placebo group, but they are still very useful in many situations.

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niels_olson
That BMJ parachute article has made the rounds for years now. I think I last
saw it a week or two ago on reddit. I wonder if the Freakonomics guys are now
entering the same sort of funk that Merlin of 43 Folders says he's coming out
of.

