A PHARMACOLOGY TEACHING EXERCISE IN DRUG EVALUATION: A COMPARISON OF THE DIURETIC EFFICACY OF CLOREXOLONE, HYDROCHLOROTHIAZIDE AND A PLACEBO IN NORMAL SUBJECTS.

In 63 healthy medical students, grouped in 21 randomized blocks, the comparative effects of clorexolone, hydrochlorothiazide and placebo on the quantity of urine excreted and on weight loss were studied. Each subject ingested a single 50-mg. dose of one of the medications. An oral saltloading technique was employed. Measurements were recorded during the four hours following administration. This experiment, which was an integral part of a teaching program in pharmacology, permitted a practical demonstration to medical students of the four fundamental control measures in clinical pharmacology: the comparison with a standard medication and/or a placebo, the random distribution of treatments, the double-blind technique and the statistical analysis of data. In this study hydrochlorothiazide proved to have significantly greater diuretic activity than placebo and clorexolone; the latter medication did not demonstrate effects statistically superior to those of the placebo. A highly significant positive correlation was found to exist between the measurements of urine volume and weight loss.

RCT Entities:   Population Interventions Outcomes