Last reviewed 2026-04-22 · How we verify

Sham Local

Sham Local is a placebo control intervention used in clinical research to establish baseline effects in local treatment studies.

Sham Local is a placebo control intervention used in clinical research to establish baseline effects in local treatment studies. Used for Clinical trial control arm (non-therapeutic).

At a glance

Mechanism of action

Sham Local represents a non-active local procedure or treatment administered in a manner identical to the active intervention, allowing researchers to isolate the true therapeutic effect from placebo response and procedural effects. It is used as a control arm in clinical trials to determine whether observed benefits are due to the specific mechanism of the active treatment or to non-specific factors such as patient expectation, attention, or the procedural context itself.

Approved indications

• Clinical trial control arm (non-therapeutic)

Common side effects

No common side effects on file.

Key clinical trials

• The Effects of 5G Radiation on Skin (NA)
• Ultrasound-Guided Quadro-Iliac Plane Block for Pain Management After Total Hip Arthroplasty (NA)
• Efficacy Evaluation of Electroacupuncture in the Treatment of Functional Dyspepsia (NA)
• Dry Needling for Temporomandibular Disorder (NA)
• Femoral Peri-arterial Local Anesthetic Injection Via Peri-arterial Perineural Catheter Reverses Tourniquet Associated Ischemic Hypertension (PHASE4)
• Modulating Oscillations and Working Memory in Patients With Subdural Electrodes (NA)
• Feasibility of an Analgesic Device Enabling Local Anesthetic Delivery and Neuromodulation After Knee Surgery (NA)
• A Study to Evaluate Intravitreal JNJ-81201887 (AAVCAGsCD59) Compared to Sham Procedure for the Treatment of Geographic Atrophy (GA) Secondary to Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) (PHASE2)

Primary sources

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