Here at Neuroskeptic, we see a lot of bad science. Maybe, over the years (all 2 of them) that I've been writing this blog, I've become a bit jaded. Maybe I'm less distressed by it than I used to be. Cynical, even.
But this one really takes the biscuit. And then it takes the tin. And relieves itself in it:A New Population-Enrichment Strategy to Improve Efficiency of Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trials of Antidepressant Drugs.
Don't worry - it's from a big pharmaceutical company (GlaxoSmithKline), so I don't have to worry about hurting feelings.
It's is full to bursting with colourful graphs and pictures, but the basic idea is very simple. As in "simpleton".
Suppose you're testing a new drug against placebo. You decide to do a multicentre trial, i.e. you enlist lots of doctors to give the drug, or placebo, to their patients. Each clinic or hospital which takes part is ...
