pharmacodynamics
how a medicine changes the body
frequency distribution curve
a graphical representation of the number of patients responding to a drug action at different doses
median effective dose
the dose required to produce a specific therapeutic response in 50% of a group of patients (ED50); sometimes reported as the average or standard dose
potency
concept reflecting a drug that will produce a therapeutic effect at a lower dose
efficacy
the magnitude of maximal response that can be produced from a particular drug
agonist
a drug that produces the same type of response as the endogenous substance