efficacy
- 01 C1 Advanced
how well a drug or treatment works in a perfect, controlled test.
the performance of an intervention under ideal and controlled circumstances, such as a clinical trial. Often contrasted with 'effectiveness', which describes performance in real-world settings.
Simple“Scientists are still testing the efficacy of the new vaccine against different viruses.”
In context“The phase-three clinical trials demonstrated high efficacy in controlled environments, though researchers remain cautious about real-world effectiveness across diverse populations.”
UsageFrequently used in the phrase 'clinical efficacy'.
“Within the current work, the research team closely investigated eugenol, clove oil's dominant bioactive component, to understand its action and further assess its safety and efficacy.”
“This provides information about efficacy and can reveal patterns, such as when symptoms are most severe and if they change month to month.”
From Old French efficace, from Late Latin efficācia (“efficacy”), from efficāx (“efficacious”); see efficacious.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.