'Expensive' Placebo Drug May Alter Our Perception Of How Well It Actually Works

The most expensive treatments are oftentimes touted as the most effective.

Researchers at the University of Cincinnati in Ohio worked to see if patients with Parkinson's disease would perform better on two different types of drugs--one that was quite more expensive. Study results showed that the patient's perception of the cost of the drug could actually affect how well they thought the drug worked. 

For the study, researchers tried two shots that were similar in effectiveness on patients, but not cost: one shot was $100 per dose while the other was about $1,500. In reality, each was actually just a shot of saline solution.

Patients were required to complete tests that measured their motor skills and brain scans before and after receiving their shots.

Findings revealed that motor skills improved by 28 percent for the participants who thought they had received a more expensive drug when compared to the other administered "cheaper" version. 

"Patients' expectations play an important role in the effectiveness of their treatments, and the placebo effect has been well documented, especially in people with Parkinson's disease," said Dr. Alberto J. Espay, study author of the University of Cincinnati in Ohio and a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology, in a news release.

However, when researchers told participants what was actually going on following the study, eight admitted that they had greater hopes for the expensive treatment.

"If we can find strategies to harness the placebo response to enhance the benefits of treatments, we could potentially maximize the benefit of treatment while reducing the dosage of drugs needed and possibly reducing side effects," he concluded.

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