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Placebo patch and pill
A placebo formulation (patch and pill) that produces therapeutic effects through the patient's expectation and the placebo effect rather than active pharmacological mechanisms.
A placebo formulation (patch and pill) that produces therapeutic effects through the patient's expectation and the placebo effect rather than active pharmacological mechanisms. Used for Control comparator in clinical trials (not a therapeutic indication).
At a glance
| Generic name | Placebo patch and pill |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Placebo |
| Sponsor | Massachusetts General Hospital |
| Modality | Small molecule |
| Therapeutic area | Clinical Research / Methodology |
| Phase | FDA-approved |
Mechanism of action
Placebo products are inert formulations designed to be indistinguishable from active drugs in appearance and administration route. They work through psychological and psychosomatic mechanisms, including expectation, conditioning, and the ritual of treatment. Placebo patches and pills are primarily used in clinical research as control comparators to isolate the true pharmacological effects of investigational drugs.
Approved indications
- Control comparator in clinical trials (not a therapeutic indication)
Common side effects
- Nocebo effects (adverse events attributed to placebo)
Key clinical trials
- Defining Neurobiological Links Between Substance Use and Mental Illness (NA)
- Assessing Changes in Multi-parametric MRI in Patients With Acute Demyelinating Lesions Taking Clemastine Fumarate as a Myelin Repair Therapy (PHASE1, PHASE2)
- Reward Sensitivity and Pharmacotherapy for Smoking Cessation (PHASE4)
- Cyclical Neuroactive Steroid Changes, Arousal, and Proximal Suicide Risk: An Experimental Approach (PHASE4)
- The Role of Estrogen in the Neurobiology of Eating Disorders (PHASE2)
- Atherosclerosis, Immune Mediated Inflammation and Hypoestrogenemia in Young Women (PHASE2)
- Vitamin D as a Nutritional Neoadjuvant During Photodynamic Therapy of Basal Cell Carcinoma (PHASE1)
- Nicotine Withdrawal Symptoms and Smoking Relapse (NA)
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 patch and pill CI brief — competitive landscape report
- Placebo patch and pill updates RSS · CI watch RSS
- Massachusetts General Hospital portfolio CI