One Day, We Won't Need Placebos

By Komodo Health Editorial Team

While double-blind clinical trials have traditionally held the esteemed status of being the gold standard in clinical research, it is imperative to acknowledge their notable limitations. Challenges such as inadequate patient participation, insufficient representation of ethnic and racial diversity in the study population, and the ethical dilemma of some participants receiving placebos contribute to the inherent frustrations associated with randomized controlled trials. These issues play a pivotal role in the staggering statistic that approximately 80% of clinical trials struggle to meet enrollment timelines and requirements.

Recent strides in analytics, however, offer a transformative avenue to complement, and in certain instances, circumvent the conventional randomized controlled trial. Leveraging real-world evidence (RWE) extracted from comprehensive data sources has become a promising alternative. This approach involves monitoring patients from the onset of their initial symptoms through their evolving trajectory, encompassing interactions with various specialists, lab tests, procedures, and therapies.

Consequently, Life Sciences teams can now unveil patterns of behavior and health outcomes, previously exclusive to clinical trials, all without the necessity of conducting a traditional study or administering placebos. This signifies a significant shift in the landscape of clinical research methodologies, offering a more inclusive and dynamic approach to understanding health patterns and treatment outcomes.