SynthesisBMJ (Clinical research ed.)
Effect of colour of drugs: systematic review of perceived effect of drugs and of their effectiveness.
Synthesis in BMJ (Clinical research ed.). The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 63 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
63 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 312 citations in OpenAlex.
- Inadequate description of placebo and sham controls in a systematic review of recent trials.European journal of clinical investigation · 2019Pooled it
- Nocebo in Biosimilars and Generics in Neurology: A Systematic Review.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2019Pooled it
- The placebo response of injectable GLP-1 receptor agonists vs. oral DPP-4 inhibitors and SGLT-2 inhibitors: a systematic review and meta-analysis.British journal of clinical pharmacology · 2016Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Meta-analysis: the effects of placebo treatment on gastro-oesophageal reflux disease.Alimentary pharmacology & therapeutics · 2010Pooled it
- Efficacy and Safety of Anthocyanin-Rich Extract in Patients with Ulcerative Colitis: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Nutrients · 2024Trial
- Red induces hyperalgesia and white induces hypoalgesia regardless of pain modality.Scientific reports · 2023Trial
- The impact of pharmaceutical form and simulated side effects in an open-label-placebo RCT for improving psychological distress in highly stressed students.Scientific reports · 2023Trial
- Savor the flavor: A randomized double-blind study assessing taste-enhanced placebo analgesia in healthy volunteers.Clinical and translational science · 2022Trial
- Trial
- The Effect of the Type and Colour of Placebo Stimuli on Placebo Effects Induced by Observational Learning.PloS one · 2016Trial
- An Approach to Assess Generalizability in Comparative Effectiveness Research: A Case Study of the Whole Systems Demonstrator Cluster Randomized Trial Comparing Telehealth with Usual Care for Patients with Chronic Health Conditions.Medical decision making : an international journal of the Society for Medical Decision Making · 2015Trial
- Advertisements impact the physiological efficacy of a branded drug.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2013Trial
- Randomized trial of the effect of drug presentation on asthma outcomes: the American Lung Association Asthma Clinical Research Centers.The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology · 2009Trial
- Article
- Colour of medicines and children's acceptability: What children think of the colour of oral dosage forms?Frontiers in drug delivery · 2026Article
- Tablet Color Changes Due to Light Irradiation and Titanium Dioxide: Color Change Prevention Using Plasticizers.AAPS PharmSciTech · 2025Article
- Neuropsychological mechanisms of observational learning in human placebo effects.Psychopharmacology · 2025Review
- Patient Acceptability and Preferences for Solid Oral Dosage Form Drug Product Attributes: A Scoping Review.Patient preference and adherence · 2024Article
- Colour of Medicines and Children's Acceptability? A Systematic Literature Review of Children's Perceptions about Colours of Oral Dosage Forms.Pharmaceutics · 2023Review
3 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
- Commented on by
Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo assess the impact of the colour of a drug's formulation on its perceived effect and its effectiveness and to examine whether antidepressant drugs available in the Netherlands are different in colour from hypnotic, sedative, and anxiolytic drugs.
designSystematic review of 12 published studies. Six studies examined the perceived action of different coloured drugs and six the influence of the colour of a drug on its effectiveness. The colours of samples of 49 drugs affecting the central nervous system were assessed using a colour atlas.
main outcome measuresPerceived stimulant action versus perceived depressant action of colour of drugs; the trials that assessed the effect of drugs in different colours were done in patients with different diseases and had different outcome measures.
resultsThe studies on perceived action of coloured drugs showed that red, yellow, and orange are associated with a stimulant effect, while blue and green are related to a tranquillising effect. The trials that assessed the impact of the colour of drugs on their effectiveness showed inconsistent differences between colours. The quality of the methods of these trials was variable. Hypnotic, sedative, and anxiolytic drugs were more likely than antidepressants to be green, blue, or purple.
conclusionsColours affect the perceived action of a drug and seem to influence the effectiveness of a drug. Moreover, a relation exists between the colouring of drugs that affect the central nervous system and the indications for which they are used. Research contributing to a better understanding of the effect of the colour of drugs is warranted.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.