[Ethics and research: ethical considerations in clinical research].

Two subjects are discussed: the use of placebo controls in clinical trials and informed consent. Particularly in trials of drugs for disorders for which there exist effective treatments, the use of placebo is still controversial, although anyhow in violation of the Declaration of Helsinki. Informed consent aims at giving a subject all the necessary information to allow him to decide, with full knowledge, whether to accept a particular treatment or experimental protocol. Its importance would seem, albeit essential, to be rather illusory.