WHY do some studies include a placebo ?
For a medication to be shown effective, it has to be compared with an inactive substance or placebo medication. If it is no better than the placebo, the conclusion from the research is that it doesn’t work. In addition, experimental medications are often compared against a marketed compound. To be a useful medication, it should be as effective as medication currently on the market, and better than placebo. Interestingly, 30-40% of volunteers who take placebo medication get relief of their symptoms.
