Precious Drugs

The more precious, expensive the drug, the more effective it is, claim scientists from Duke University, U.S. Besides, this is connected not so much with the good quality of expensive drugs, as with the psychological mood of the patients thinking, that expensive medicines will cure them without fail. Such placebo effect appeared during an interesting experiment.

82 volunteers were applied electric shocks to their wrist. And before it was repeated, the volunteers were divided into two groups both of which were given a painkiller. Those from the first group were given a “brand new and expensive” drug for $2,5, and members of the second group took “just a usual” medicine for 10 cent. In truth all volunteers were given a standard reliever. All in all, 85% of the volunteers who had taken an “expensive” drug, noted a significant pain relief. The group that had been given a “cheap” medicine noticed the relief only in 61% of cases. The researchers claim, that when prescribing a drug, a doctor should pay more attention to how its price could influence its effectiveness.