Big Pharma — unnecesary harm

The ‘nocebo’ effect: how informed consent can cause unnecessary harm in clinical trials University of Oxford Research published today in the Journal of Medical Ethics found that the way informed consent is currently taken causes unnecessary ‘nocebo’ harms. The requirement of informed consent means that it is an ethical requirement to warn patients about risks of taking part in clinical trials. But recent research shows that the way in which patients are told about these risks can actually cause harm. Dr Jeremy Howick, Director of the Oxford Empathy Programme, Faculty of Philosophy, and study author, says: ‘Sometimes when we warn patients about negative side effects...