Placebo Response Workshop
MJFF Meeting Report
“The Placebo Response in Parkinson’s Disease”
Introduction
As is the case in other diseases, the current gold standard methodology for testing the efficacy of experimental Parkinson’s disease therapeutics involves the placebo-controlled study design. However, positive placebo responses have been reported in a number of PD trials, complicating the interpretation of efficacy results. These findings make interpretation of potential efficacy of an experimental treatment in an open-labeled study design extremely difficult and also raise the barriers for the design and interpretation of placebo-controlled trials in PD. Furthermore, as is the case with other diseases, the underlying basis for the placebo response in PD patients is poorly understood. The Michael J. Fox Foundation and the Davis Phinney Foundation co-sponsored a “Placebo Response in PD” Workshop in March 2009 with the following goals:
- Review the current understanding of the placebo response in neurological/psychiatric disorders
- Discuss novel hypotheses surrounding the biological and psychosocial mechanisms of the placebo response in PD
- Discuss novel approaches for managing or controlling for the placebo response in PD clinical trials
- Discuss ways to tap the therapeutic potential of the placebo response to improve the effectiveness of existing PD treatments
Meeting Attendees
Raymond Bartus, PhD
Fabrizio Benedetti, MD
Melanie Brandabur, MD, MDS
Robert Dworkin, PhD
Monique Giroux, MD
Christine Hunter, RN
Karl Kieburtz, MD, MPH
William Marks, MD
Helen Mayberg, MD
Joao Siffert, MD
Mark Stacy, MD
Glenn Stebbins, PhD
A. Jon Stoessl, CM, MD, FRCPC, FAAN
Barbara Tilley, PhD
Tor Wager, PhD
Read and contribute to discussion about the Workshop:
Find the Meeting Summary here.
See interesting references that came up during the meeting here.
