Areas covered: This review aims to answer five key questions about the nocebo effect, namely to reveal its definition, pathophysiology, clinical relevance, contributing factors, and management.
Expert commentary: The nocebo effect lowers patients’ quality of life and negatively affects treatment adherence rates in biosimilar-treated patients. It may negatively impact on the cost-savings of biosimilars. Health-care providers in charge of biosimilar-treated patients need to be aware of the nocebo effect and adopt strategies to minimize it. They have to be well-informed and confident about the existing evidence about biosimilars. A good patient–physician relationship will improve patients’ acceptance of biosimilars, and limits the risk of inappropriate negative bias and the nocebo effect. 相似文献