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Placebo Administration
Placebo administration produces therapeutic effects through patient expectation and the psychobiological placebo response, without active pharmacological intervention.
Placebo administration produces therapeutic effects through patient expectation and the psychobiological placebo response, without active pharmacological intervention. Used for Control arm in clinical trials across oncology indications.
At a glance
| Generic name | Placebo Administration |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Lactose pill, Placebo (normal saline), Placebo tablets (P-Tabletten White, Lichtenstein), isotonic saline serum intravenous administration, Sugar pills |
| Sponsor | Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology |
| Modality | Small molecule |
| Therapeutic area | Oncology |
| Phase | FDA-approved |
Mechanism of action
Placebo works via multiple mechanisms including expectation-induced neurobiological changes, conditioning, and natural disease progression. It activates endogenous pain-relief and reward pathways in the brain, particularly involving dopamine and opioid systems. The effect is most pronounced in subjective symptoms (pain, nausea, fatigue) and less effective for objective disease markers.
Approved indications
- Control arm in clinical trials across oncology indications
Common side effects
- Nocebo effects (symptom worsening due to negative expectation)
- Disease progression (underlying condition)
Key clinical trials
- A Study to Investigate the Efficacy, Safety, and Tolerability of DFV890 and MAS825 for Inflammatory Marker Reduction in Adult Participants With Coronary Heart Disease and Clonal Hematopoiesis of Indeterminate Potential (CHIP) (PHASE2)
- Safety, Tolerability, Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic of IY-828026 in Healthy Volunteers (PHASE1)
- Multicenter Study to Assess the Efficacy and Safety of LB-102 in the Treatment of Adult Patients With BP1MDE. (PHASE2)
- The RECLAIM Study. (NA)
- A Study to Evaluate Different Targeted Therapies for Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis (PHASE2)
- Analgesic Efficacy and Safety of Topical VMD-3866 Gel in Management of Pain Induced by Chemotherapy (CIPN) (PHASE2)
- Study of TGM-312-SC01 in Healthy Participants and Adults With MASH (PHASE1, PHASE2)
- Psilocybe Cubensis Mushrooms With or Without Fluoxetine for Refractory Depression (PHASE1, PHASE2)
Primary sources
Every claim on this page is sourced from regulatory or scientific primary sources. See our editorial policy for full methodology.
| Source | Used for |
|---|---|
| ClinicalTrials.gov | Trial enrolment, design, endpoints, results |
Competitive intelligence
For the full competitive landscape — auto-detected comparators, recent regulatory actions across the set, upcoming PDUFA, patent timeline, sponsor landscape:
- Placebo Administration CI brief — competitive landscape report
- Placebo Administration updates RSS · CI watch RSS
- Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology portfolio CI