---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Consider the clinicaltrials by which…"
description: "\"Consider the clinicaltrials by which drugs are tested in human subjects.5 Before a new drug can enter the market, its manufacturer must sponsor clinica..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba8/marcia-angell-19102_administration_consider-the-clinicaltrials-by-which-dru_3153044.jpg"
---

#  Consider the clinicaltrials by which drugs are tested in…

![“Consider the clinicaltrials by which drugs are tested in human subjects.5 Before a new drug can enter the market, its manufacturer must sponsor clinicaltrials to show the Food and Drug Administration that the drug is safe and effective, usually as compared with a placebo or dummy pill. The results…” quote by Marcia Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba8/marcia-angell-19102_administration_consider-the-clinicaltrials-by-which-dru_3153044.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba8/marcia-angell-19102_administration_consider-the-clinicaltrials-by-which-dru_3153044.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba8/marcia-angell-19102_administration_consider-the-clinicaltrials-by-which-dru_3153044.jpg)

> “Consider the clinicaltrials by which drugs are tested in human subjects.5 Before a new drug can enter the market, its manufacturer must sponsor clinicaltrials to show the Food and Drug Administration that the drug is safe and effective, usually as compared with a placebo or dummy pill. The results of all the trials (there may be many) are submitted to the FDA, and if one or two trials are positive—that is, they show effectiveness without serious risk—the drug is usually approved, even if all the other trials are negative.”

[Marcia Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcia-angell/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Regulatory approval often relies on a few positive trials, overlooking many negative results, which can mislead about a drug’s true safety and efficacy.

**In simple terms:** Drugs may be approved despite many failed tests.

Key Takeaway

Demand more comprehensive evidence before approval.

Themes

medical ethics regulation pharmaceuticals

Mood

cautious critical

Type

analytical informative

When to use this quote

- healthcare decision making
- patient safety
- drug development
- regulatory review

Key Concepts

clinical trial bias risk assessment policy

Questions to Reflect On

- How can regulators ensure balanced evaluation?
- What safeguards protect patients from insufficient data?

A Different Perspective

A single positive result may not reflect overall drug performance.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Administration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/administration/) [Drug](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drug/) [Effectiveness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effectiveness/) [Fda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fda/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Placebo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/placebo/) [Risk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/risk/) [Trials](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trials/)

## Related quotes

> [“Recognize that your attention is the most valuable thing you can ever own, and you alone have the ultimate power to choose where to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-luckman/recognize-that-your-attention-is-the-most-valuable-thing-you-can-ever/)

[Sol Luckman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-luckman/)

> [“Time is a placebo medication, it only helps you if you believe it can, it only heals you if you let it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cody-edward-lee-miller/time-is-a-placebo-medication-it-only-helps-you-if-you-believe-it-can/)

[Cody Edward Lee Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cody-edward-lee-miller/)

> [“The gun, my young friend, is that dark cousin of the placebo, the nocebo. If a placebo provides false benefits, the nocebo imparts false…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-gregory/the-gun-my-young-friend-is-that-dark-cousin-of-the-placebo-the-nocebo/)

[Daryl Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-gregory/)

> [“Subliminal cuing and unconscious priming influence numerous behaviors unrelated to this book. People think potato chips taste better when hearing crunching sounds. We like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/subliminal-cuing-and-unconscious-priming-influence-numerous-behaviors/)

[Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/)

> [“When it comes to dead bodies in current psychotropic trials, there are a greater number of them in the active treatment groups than in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-whitaker/when-it-comes-to-dead-bodies-in-current-psychotropic-trials-there-are/)

[Robert Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-whitaker/)

> [There is a major problem with reliance on placebos, like most vitamins and antioxidants. Everyone gets upset about Big Science, Big Pharma, but they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-specter/there-is-a-major-problem-with-reliance-on-placebos-like-most-vitamins/)

[Michael Specter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-specter/)

> [In all technai or arts (medicine perhaps most of all), there is a self-exhilaration on the part of the practitioner (the intoxication of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/in-all-technai-or-arts-medicine-perhaps-most-of-all-there-is-a-self/)

[Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/)

> [You have to believe in a placebo or it won't work, but if it works, it's obviously working in some indirect way, through feedback…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-jencks/you-have-to-believe-in-a-placebo-or-it-won-t-work-but-if-it-works-it/)

[Charles Jencks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-jencks/)

> [Many traffic signs have become like placebos, giving false comfort to the afflicted, or simple boilerplate to ward off lawsuits, the roadway version of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-vanderbilt/many-traffic-signs-have-become-like-placebos-giving-false-comfort-to/)

[Tom Vanderbilt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-vanderbilt/)

> [Either it is true that a medicine works or it isn't. It cannot be false in the ordinary sense but true in some alternative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/either-it-is-true-that-a-medicine-works-or-it-isn-t-it-cannot-be/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [“This book is also not about denial. None of the methods you’ll read about here involve denying whatever health condition you may presently have.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dispenza/this-book-is-also-not-about-denial-none-of-the-methods-you-ll-read/)

[Joe Dispenza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dispenza/)

> [I find placebos uplifting and exhilarating. It means that taking action--no matter what the action is--might help you feel better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-find-placebos-uplifting-and-exhilarating-it-means-that-taking/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Eventually it became clear that our emotions, attitudes, and thoughts profoundly affect our bodies, sometimes to the degree of life or death. Soon mind-body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-dossey/eventually-it-became-clear-that-our-emotions-attitudes-and-thoughts/)

[Larry Dossey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-dossey/)

> [A man doesn't need a study to know if he's feeling amorous. There is no such thing as a placebo erection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-kilham/a-man-doesn-t-need-a-study-to-know-if-he-s-feeling-amorous-there-is/)

[Chris Kilham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-kilham/)

> [I became a human placebo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-sherman/i-became-a-human-placebo/)

[Bobby Sherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-sherman/)

## More by Marcia Angell

> [Alternative medicine plays into this exaggerated notion that you can prevent disease simply by doing the right thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-angell/alternative-medicine-plays-into-this-exaggerated-notion-that-you-can/)

[Marcia Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcia-angell/)

> [I do think that we are an overmedicated society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-angell/i-do-think-that-we-are-an-overmedicated-society/)

[Marcia Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcia-angell/)

> [There's a certain libertarian right-wing view that there should be no FDA, that people can decide for themselves whether medicines are safe and effective.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-angell/there-s-a-certain-libertarian-right-wing-view-that-there-should-be-no/)

[Marcia Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcia-angell/)

> [For all of life's discontents, according to the pharmaceutical industry, there is a drug and you should take it. Then for the side effects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-angell/for-all-of-life-s-discontents-according-to-the-pharmaceutical/)

[Marcia Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcia-angell/)

> [When death is imminent and dying patients find their suffering unbearable, then the physician's role should shift from healing to relieving suffering in accord…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-angell/when-death-is-imminent-and-dying-patients-find-their-suffering/)

[Marcia Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcia-angell/)

> [In economic terms, health care is a highly successful industry - profitable, growing, and virtually recession-proof - but it's a massive burden on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-angell/in-economic-terms-health-care-is-a-highly-successful-industry/)

[Marcia Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcia-angell/)

> [Obamacare is simply incapable of doing what it is supposed to do - provide nearly universal care at an affordable and sustainable cost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-angell/obamacare-is-simply-incapable-of-doing-what-it-is-supposed-to-do/)

[Marcia Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcia-angell/)

> [Pharmaceutical companies have too much influence over the education of physicians in this country. They have too much control over the evaluation of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-angell/pharmaceutical-companies-have-too-much-influence-over-the-education/)

[Marcia Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcia-angell/)

> [The pharmaceutical industry isn't the only place where there's waste and inefficiency and profiteering. That happens in much of the rest of the health…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-angell/the-pharmaceutical-industry-isn-t-the-only-place-where-there-s-waste/)

[Marcia Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcia-angell/)

> [ The use of psychoactive drugs - including both antidepressants and antipsychotics - has exploded...\[yet\] 'the tally of those who are disabled...increased nearly two and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-angell/the-use-of-psychoactive-drugs-including-both-antidepressants-and/)

[Marcia Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcia-angell/)

> [Drug companies say they need to charge ever-higher prices to cover their research costs, but they spend far less on research and development than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-angell/drug-companies-say-they-need-to-charge-ever-higher-prices-to-cover/)

[Marcia Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcia-angell/)

> [It is simply no longer possible to believe much of the clinical research that is published, or to rely on the judgment of trusted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-angell/it-is-simply-no-longer-possible-to-believe-much-of-the-clinical/)

[Marcia Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcia-angell/)

> [It is time for the scientific community to stop giving alternative medicine a free ride There cannot be two kinds of medicine — conventional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-angell/it-is-time-for-the-scientific-community-to-stop-giving-alternative/)

[Marcia Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcia-angell/)

> [There is something so biologically implausible that your attitude is going to cure a disease. There's a tremendous arrogance to imagine that your mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-angell/there-is-something-so-biologically-implausible-that-your-attitude-is/)

[Marcia Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcia-angell/)

> [Why should anyone - the state, the medical profession, or anyone else - presume to tell someone else how much suffering they must endure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-angell/why-should-anyone-the-state-the-medical-profession-or-anyone-else/)

[Marcia Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcia-angell/)

[Explore all 33 Marcia Angell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcia-angell/)

## More Administration quotes

> [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [While the people retain their virtue and vigilance, no administration, by any extreme of wickedness or folly, can very seriously injure the government in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/while-the-people-retain-their-virtue-and-vigilance-no-administration/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [If you want to serve in a Trump administration, you're going to serve this country, not yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-spicer/if-you-want-to-serve-in-a-trump-administration-you-re-going-to-serve/)

[Sean Spicer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-spicer/)

> [Listen, I have a great affection and respect for Joe Biden. I think he's been a great vice president. He's taken on a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-axelrod/listen-i-have-a-great-affection-and-respect-for-joe-biden-i-think-he/)

[David Axelrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-axelrod/)

> [I don't believe anyone that I know in the administration ever said that Iraq had nuclear weapons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rumsfeld/i-don-t-believe-anyone-that-i-know-in-the-administration-ever-said/)

[Donald Rumsfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rumsfeld/)

> [What was unique about me being in City Hall during the Giuliani Administration, I was the only one who wasn't an attorney. I may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-lhota/what-was-unique-about-me-being-in-city-hall-during-the-giuliani/)

[Joe Lhota](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-lhota/)

> [The Trump administration launched the cruise missile strikes in Syria, an act of war, without a U.N. resolution or Congressional authorization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/the-trump-administration-launched-the-cruise-missile-strikes-in-syria/)

[Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/)

> [The only way I'll ever run a marathon is if I'm involved in the administration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-phillips/the-only-way-i-ll-ever-run-a-marathon-is-if-i-m-involved-in-the/)

[Sally Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-phillips/)

> [Obama spent the first two years of his administration practicing political unilateral disarmament.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cenk-uygur/obama-spent-the-first-two-years-of-his-administration-practicing/)

[Cenk Uygur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cenk-uygur/)

> [The actions of the University in my case make it abundantly clear that the Administration's rhetoric about Harvard's desire to attract and retain the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-geller/the-actions-of-the-university-in-my-case-make-it-abundantly-clear/)

[Margaret Geller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-geller/)

> [In mid-May, the House of Representatives approved the full amount of money that the Veterans Administration said was needed for next year - plus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doc-hastings/in-mid-may-the-house-of-representatives-approved-the-full-amount-of/)

[Doc Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doc-hastings/)

> [In 1953, the United States played a significant role in orchestrating the overthrow of Iran's popular prime minister, Mohammed Mossadegh. The Eisenhower administration believed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/in-1953-the-united-states-played-a-significant-role-in-orchestrating/)

[Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/)

> [The administration of George W. Bush, emboldened by the Sept. 11 attacks and the backing of a Republican Congress, has sought to further extend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-feldman/the-administration-of-george-w-bush-emboldened-by-the-sept-11-attacks/)

[Noah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-feldman/)

> [When we criticize in Iran the actions of the government, the fundamentalists say that we and the Bush Administration are in the same camp.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirin-ebadi/when-we-criticize-in-iran-the-actions-of-the-government-the/)

[Shirin Ebadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirin-ebadi/)

> [We will finally complete the biometric entry-exit visa tracking system, which we need desperately. For years Congress has required biometric entry-exit visa tracking systems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-will-finally-complete-the-biometric-entry-exit-visa-tracking/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

[Browse all 1,855 Administration quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/administration/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Consider the clinicaltrials by which drugs are tested in human subjects.5 Before a new drug can enter the market, its manufacturer must sponsor clinicaltrials to show the Food and Drug Administration that the drug is safe and effective, usually as compared with a placebo or dummy pill. The results of all the trials (there may be many) are submitted to the FDA, and if one or two trials are positive—that is, they show effectiveness without serious risk—the drug is usually approved, even if all the other trials are negative.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Marcia Angell"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-angell/consider-the-clinicaltrials-by-which-drugs-are-tested-in-human/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Administration"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-angell/consider-the-clinicaltrials-by-which-drugs-are-tested-in-human/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba8/marcia-angell-19102_administration_consider-the-clinicaltrials-by-which-dru_3153044.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba8/marcia-angell-19102_administration_consider-the-clinicaltrials-by-which-dru_3153044.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba8/marcia-angell-19102_administration_consider-the-clinicaltrials-by-which-dru_3153044.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Consider the clinicaltrials by which drugs are tested in human subjects.5 Before a new drug can enter the…” — Marcia Angell",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Marcia Angell",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcia-angell/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Consider the clinicaltrials by which drugs...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-angell/consider-the-clinicaltrials-by-which-drugs-are-tested-in-human/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-angell/consider-the-clinicaltrials-by-which-drugs-are-tested-in-human/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
