ReviewPost-screenAre placebo and drug-specific effects additive? Questioning basic assumptions of double-blinded randomized clinical trials and presenting novel study designs

- Traditional RCTs consider a drug-specific and an unspecific component.
- Traditionally, these two components were assumed to be additive.
- Both clinical trials and experimental studies have questioned this assumption.
- Substantial interactions of drug-specific and unspecific effects have been found.
- Novel study designs allowing to consider such interactions are presented.

Double-blinded randomized clinical trials (RCTs) assume that pharmacological interventions have drug-specific and unspecific components. Traditional RCTs postulate an additivity of these two components. In this review, we provide evidence from both clinical trials and experimental studies that questions this 'additive model'. Given that the evaluation of drug treatments in RCTs is based on the assumption of additivity, its violation has far-reaching consequences. Therefore, we discuss an interactive model that, in contrast to the additive model, considers interactions between placebo and drug-specific effects. Moreover, we discuss implications for future clinical trials and present novel study designs enabling researchers to consider the complex interplay of drug-specific and unspecific effects.