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Dose response: EC50, ED50, LD50

Important definitions
Therapeutic effect A Toxic effect Lethal effect
Percentage of individuals responding to this dose

100%

50%

ED50 TD50 LD50

Dose 

ED50: Median effective dose

The dose required to achieve 50% of the desired response in 50% of the population

TD50: Median Toxic dose of 50% for 50%:

The dose required to get 50% of the population reporting this specific toxic effect

LD50: Median lethal dose

The dose required to achieve 50% mortality from toxicity

EC50: Half maximum effective concentration

The concentration of a drug at which 50% of its maximum response is observed

LC50: Half lethal concentration

The concentration of a drug at which 50% mortality Ifrom toxicity is observed

These are derived from bell curves; i.e. in a population of individuals, there will always be variation in drug response
– but a majority of them will respond roughly the same way to this drug, and that’s the fat part of the bell curve.

From “Goodman & Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics” 11th ed by Brunton et al,and “Basic & Clinical Pharmacology” 11th ed. By Katzung et al