Dooms
” When a NEW Drug is tested, do they test for safety using another DRUG as a Placebo?
Or do they use a Sugar Pill or Saline Solution?”
Don’t answer your questions when they are so easy to disprove
Both it depends on the what phase trial we are talking, what is being looked at
It also depends on the standard of care. for example Cyclophosphamide has been the standard of care in treating ANCA associated vascultis for several decades.
now I think rituximab might be better or as good but with less side effects.
It would be wrong to test rituximab against a placebo, and not give some patients ANY treatment.
This study was done (RAVE ) and is shifting our management. (though granted THIS example wasnt about the safety of rituximab it is just the first example that comes to mind. As for safety look up Phase 4 trial.
Drug vs Drug studies are done all the time.
More to the point though, Even if we are developing a new drug for a treatment without a standard of care, adn we are comparing it to a placebo.
We dont stop all drugs the placebo arm is taking, in order to do a “DRUG VS NO DRUG” study
The study arm gets Drug X the control arm gets placebo. And it doesn’t matter if the two groups are also taking Drugs A, B, C.
i’m not sure why you are under the impression that in order to study the effects of MMR the control arm cant have received ANY vaccine.