Commercial Features of Placebo and Therapeutic Efficacy

JAMA The Journal of the American Medical Association
March 5, 2008; 299(9): 1016-1017
doi:10.1001/jama.299.9.1016

Rebecca L. Waber, BS
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, Massachusetts

Baba Shiv, PhD
Stanford University
Stanford, California

Ziv Carmon, PhD
INSEAD
Singapore

Dan Ariely, PhD
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

To the Editor:
It is possible that the therapeutic efficacy of medications is affected by commercial features such as lower prices. Because such features influence patients’ expectations, they may play an unrecognized therapeutic role by influencing the efficacy of medical therapies, especially in conditions associated with strong placebo responses. To investigate this possibility, we studied the effect of price on analgesic response to placebo pills.

Author Contributions:
Dr Ariely had full access to all of the data in the study and takes responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis.
Study concept and design: Waber, Shiv, Carmon, Ariely.
Acquisition of data: Waber.
Analysis and interpretation of data: Waber, Ariely.
Drafting of the manuscript: Waber, Shiv, Ariely.
Critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content: Waber, Shiv, Carmon, Ariely.
Statistical analysis: Waber, Ariely.
Obtained funding: Ariely.
Administrative, technical, or material support: Waber.
Study supervision: Ariely.

Financial Disclosures:
None reported.

Additional Contributions:
Taya Leary, MS, Tom Pernikoff, BS, and John Keefe, BS, all with the Massachusetts Instituteof Technology at the time of this study, provided assistance in data collection. Mr Keefe received compensation for this role. Andrew Lippman, PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, provided logistical support and Mark Vangel, PhD, Massachusetts General Hospital, provided statistical assistance. Neither received compensation for these roles.

http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=181562