Placebo of HIV Trials

A new study confirms that a “trial effect”—in which patients improve simply as a result of taking part in a drug study—once existed among HIV trial participants.

Written byJef Akst

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Between 1996 and 1999, HIV patients treated with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) as part of a clinical trial showed greater viral suppression than those patients who received the same treatment in a routine hospital setting, according to researchers at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, demonstrating that just taking part in a clinical trial was enough to have a positive effect on health outcomes. The documentation of a so-called “trial effect,” which is assumed to be the result of increased care and follow-up as well as changes in the patients’ behavior, could impact how researchers design clinical trial and analyze the resulting data.

“Trial effect is notoriously difficult to test,” lead author Prema Menezes said in a press release. “This is the ...

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Meet the Author

Jef Akst
Jef (an unusual nickname for Jennifer) got her master’s degree from Indiana University in April 2009 studying the mating behavior of seahorses. After four years of diving off the Gulf Coast of Tampa and performing behavioral experiments at the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, she left research to pursue a career in science writing. As The Scientist's managing editor, Jef edited features and oversaw the production of the TS Digest and quarterly print magazine. In 2022, her feature on uterus transplantation earned first place in the trade category of the Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism. She is a member of the National Association of Science Writers.
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