Definition of Active placebo
1. Noun. A placebo used in experimental tests of a drug that has noticeable side effects. "An active placebo mimics the side effects of the experimental drug"
Medical Definition of Active placebo
1.
Any dummy medical treatment, originally, a medicinal preparation having no specific pharmacological activity against the patients illness or complaint given solely for the psychophysiological effects of the treatment, more recently, a dummy treatment administered to the control group in a controlled clinical trial in order that the specific and non-specific effects of the experimental treatment can be distinguished i.e., the experimental treatment must produce better results than the placebo in order to be considered effective.
This entry appears with permission from the Dictionary of Cell and Molecular Biology
(11 Mar 2008)
Lexicographical Neighbors of Active Placebo
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