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MEDICINE AND PUBLIC ISSUES

Placebo-Controlled Trials and Active-Control Trials in the Evaluation of New Treatments. Part 1: Ethical and Scientific Issues

right arrow Robert Temple, MD, and Susan S. Ellenberg, PhD

19 September 2000 | Volume 133 Issue 6 | Pages 455-463

In recent years, several authors have argued that placebo-controlled trials are invariably unethical when known effective therapy is available for the condition being studied, regardless of the condition or the consequences of deferring treatment. Some have also disputed the value of placebo-controlled trials in such a setting, asserting that the comparison of new treatment with old treatment is sufficient to establish efficacy and is all that should be of interest. This article considers the ethical concerns about use of placebo controls and describes the limited ability of active-control equivalence (also known as noninferiority) trials to establish efficacy of new therapies in many medical contexts. The authors conclude that placebo-controlled trials are not uniformly unethical when known effective therapies are available; rather, their acceptability is determined by whether the patient will be harmed by deferral of therapy. If patients are not harmed, such trials can ethically be carried out. Furthermore, active-control trials, although valuable, informative, and appropriate in many circumstances, often cannot provide reliable evidence of the effectiveness of a new therapy.

Author and Article Information
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From the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research and the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Rockville, Maryland.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in these papers are those of the authors. They are similar to the conclusions and principles published in a Food and Drug Administration draft guidance document (33) based on a guideline developed by the International Conference on Harmonization, a body representing regulators and industry from the United States, the European Union, and Japan. The inferential problems associated with use of equivalence designs to show effectiveness are reflected in regulations (15) and guidelines (41).

Requests for Single Reprints: Robert Temple, MD, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 5600 Fishers Lane, HFD-101/WOC II—6014, Rockville, MD 20857.

Current Author Addresses: Dr. Temple: Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 5600 Fishers Lane, HFD-101/WOC II—6014, Rockville, MD 20857.

Dr. Ellenberg: Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 1401 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852.

 

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Medicine and Public Issues
Placebo-Controlled Trials and Active-Control Trials in the Evaluation of New Treatments. Part 2: Practical Issues and Specific Cases
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ANN INTERN MEDHome page
B. Djulbegovic
Placebo-Controlled Trials
Ann Intern Med, July 3, 2001; 135(1): 62 - 63.
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NEJMHome page
D. C. Throckmorton
Future Trials of Antiplatelet Agents in Cardiac Ischemia
N. Engl. J. Med., June 21, 2001; 344(25): 1937 - 1939.
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CirculationHome page
E. M. Antman
Clinical Trials in Cardiovascular Medicine
Circulation, May 29, 2001; 103 (21): e101 - e104.
[Full Text] [PDF]


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Diabetes CareHome page
D. Orentlicher
Placebo-Controlled Trials of New Drugs: Ethical Considerations
Diabetes Care, April 1, 2001; 24(4): 771 - 772.
[Full Text]


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Diabetes CareHome page
R. I. Misbin
Placebo-Controlled Trials in Type 2 Diabetes
Diabetes Care, April 1, 2001; 24(4): 773 - 774.
[Full Text]


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JAMAHome page
B. Djulbegovic and M. Clarke
Scientific and Ethical Issues in Equivalence Trials
JAMA, March 7, 2001; 285(9): 1206 - 1208.
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JCOHome page
M. H. Cohen, M. Rothmann, H. von der Maase, and A. M. Hayden
Gemcitabine and Cisplatin for Advanced, Metastatic Bladder Cancer
J. Clin. Oncol., February 15, 2001; 19(4): 1229 - 1231.
[Full Text]


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BMJHome page
R J Lilford, B. Djulbegovic, U. Schuklenk, K. J Rothman, and K. B Michels
Declaration of Helsinki should be strengthened
BMJ, February 3, 2001; 322(7281): 299a - 299.
[Full Text]


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ANN INTERN MEDHome page
S. S. Ellenberg and R. Temple
Placebo-Controlled Trials and Active-Control Trials in the Evaluation of New Treatments. Part 2: Practical Issues and Specific Cases
Ann Intern Med, September 19, 2000; 133(6): 464 - 470.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


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ANN INTERN MEDHome page
R. Simon
Are Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trials Ethical or Needed When Alternative Treatment Exists?
Ann Intern Med, September 19, 2000; 133(6): 474 - 475.
[Full Text] [PDF]


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Am. J. Public HealthHome page
C. R. Rinaldo Jr
Passive Immunization Against Poliomyelitis: The Hammon Gamma Globulin Field Trials, 1951-1953
Am J Public Health, May 1, 2005; 95(5): 790 - 799.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]




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