It’s a common misconception that all clinical trials involve a placebo, a substance or pill that has no active ingredient or therapeutic effect on the participant. However, only a small fraction of clinical trials uses placebos, typically only found in phase III studies. If a placebo is present, the placebo group always receives the current standard of care. Only very rarely are there cases in which there is a "no treatment" placebo group in a clinical trial. If a placebo an option in the trial, you are considering you will be made aware of this in advance so that you can make an educated decision on proceeding.