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Placebo sugar capsules
Placebo sugar capsules produce therapeutic effects through the placebo effect, wherein inert substances trigger beneficial physiological and psychological responses based on patient expectation and belief.
Placebo sugar capsules produce therapeutic effects through the placebo effect, wherein inert substances trigger beneficial physiological and psychological responses based on patient expectation and belief. Used for Research control in clinical trials, Conditions responsive to placebo effect (pain, nausea, fatigue).
At a glance
| Generic name | Placebo sugar capsules |
|---|---|
| Sponsor | Hospital for Special Surgery, New York |
| Modality | Small molecule |
| Phase | FDA-approved |
Mechanism of action
Placebo effects operate through multiple pathways including expectation-driven neurobiological changes, conditioning, and the natural history of disease. When patients believe they are receiving treatment, activation of reward systems, endogenous opioid release, and reduction in stress-related physiology can produce measurable clinical improvements independent of pharmacological activity. This mechanism is particularly effective for subjective symptoms such as pain, fatigue, and nausea.
Approved indications
- Research control in clinical trials
- Conditions responsive to placebo effect (pain, nausea, fatigue)
Common side effects
- Nocebo effect (adverse events attributed to inert substance)
- Disappointment or loss of benefit upon unblinding
Key clinical trials
- Effects of Different Caffeine Forms on Aerobic and Anaerobic Exercise Performance (NA)
- Utility of Single-dose Oral Antibiotic Prophylaxis in Prevention of Surgical Site Infection in Dermatologic Surgery (PHASE4)
- Spironolactone for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PHASE2)
- Polygenic Risk-based Detection of Subclinical Coronary Atherosclerosis and Intervention With Statin and Colchicine (PHASE4)
- Impact of Training Load on the Gut miCrobiome And Its Relation to exeRcise Performance, mUscle Phenotype, and markerS of Overreaching in Healthy Men (NA)
- Effects of Pazopanib on Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia Related Epistaxis and Anemia (Paz) (PHASE2, PHASE3)
- Effects of P24 on Postprandial Aminoacidemia (NA)
- Drug Therapy Induced Weight Loss to Improve Blood Vessel Function in Subjects With Obesity (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 sugar capsules CI brief — competitive landscape report
- Placebo sugar capsules updates RSS · CI watch RSS
- Hospital for Special Surgery, New York portfolio CI