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Pharmacy & Pharmacology vocabulary · Pharmacodynamics and Drug Action

Efficacy

Meaning in pharmacy & pharmacology, with examples

/ˈɛfɪkəsi/nounCommon term

In pharmacy & pharmacology, efficacy means: The ability of a drug to produce the wanted effect; in pharmacology, the maximum effect a drug can produce, however high the dose.

In Turkish: etkinlik, etkililik

How it is used

Common in trial reports and product information: 'efficacy and safety', 'proven efficacy', 'lack of efficacy'. Researchers often separate efficacy (how well a drug works in ideal trial conditions) from effectiveness (how well it works in everyday practice). The adjective is efficacious, but 'effective' is more common.

Example sentences

  1. The trial showed similar efficacy for the two drugs, but fewer side effects with the new one.

  2. A partial agonist has lower efficacy than a full agonist.

Common collocations

  • efficacy and safety
  • clinical efficacy
  • proven efficacy
  • lack of efficacy
  • potencyThe amount of a drug needed to produce a given effect; a highly potent drug works at a very small dose.
  • clinical trialA research study in people that tests whether a new medicine or treatment is safe and works, usually by comparing it with a placebo or an existing treatment.
  • endpointThe main outcome a clinical trial measures to decide whether a treatment works, such as survival, the number of heart attacks or a change in blood pressure.
  • agonistA drug that binds to a receptor and activates it, producing an effect similar to that of the body's own natural substance.

More terms: Pharmacodynamics and Drug Action

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