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Some patient next to them are not even offered to be part of this draw, and winning this draw (i.e. getting the real medicine) may lead to severe adverse effects.

It would be unethical if this placebo was given in place of a known working alternative treatment.

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> It would be unethical if this placebo was given in place of a known working alternative treatment.

From what little I know of cancer treatment, that isn't how studies are generally run. When you're part of a trial, you're either given the experimental treatment, or the "standard of care", not a placebo.

So for cancer at least, you're either getting a novel treatment, or standard chemo.

in this case there was no standard of care

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