Industry considers concerns about masking in MDMA trials
Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly March 17, 2025 DOI: 10.1002/adaw.34448 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Commentary Randomized Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | MDMA |
| Key points | The text raises the concern that blinding and placebo control, which are needed to separate a drug's specific effects from the "placebo effect," are difficult to achieve in psychedelic randomized controlled trials because the drugs produce powerful subjective effects that can reveal whether a participant received the active treatment. |
Abstract
Not for the first time, experts have expressed concern about whether randomized controlled trials (RCTs) can be conducted with psychedelics. A placebo for a drug with such a powerful effect would be difficult to create. But placebos are needed to prove that a medication works because it works, not because the patient thinks it will (the so‐called “placebo effect”). To avoid the placebo effect misguiding results, participants are “blinded” as to whether they are taking the placebo or the study drug. (In “double‐blind” studies, the researchers don't know, either.)