Half of US physicians "prescribe placebos"

A report in the British Medical Journal claims that "about half" of a random sample of 679 internists and rheumatologists across the USA have prescribed a drug to a patient with the intention of producing a placebo effect. According to the New York Times, the list of drugs being used to persuade "difficult patients" or those with conditions that are considered to be psychosomatic, included vitamins, antibiotics, painkillers and sedatives.

In some clinical trials for antidepressants, the beneficial effect of a placebo has been measured at well over 30%, in some cases not dissimilar to the active compound being tested. For other conditions where a reduction in anxiety or stress can produce results, such as pain or hypertension, sugar pills can produce significant improvements.

Ezekiel Emanuel, the chairman of the bioethics department at the National Institutes of Health, who contributed to the BMJ report, said: "everyone comes out happy: the doctor is happy, the patient is happy. But ethical challenges remain."