Overall survival
Overall survival · OS
Time from a defined study starting point to death from any cause.
How to read it · Pitfalls →Drug lifecycle toolbox
From mechanism to evidence, approval and financial reports. Understand what a term explains—and what it leaves open.
30 terms
Progression-free survival
Progression-free survival · PFS
Time from a defined starting point to progression or death, whichever occurs first.
How to read it · Pitfalls →Objective response rate
Objective response rate · ORR
The proportion with a complete or partial response under prespecified criteria.
How to read it · Pitfalls →Duration of response
Duration of response · DOR
Among responders, time from initial response to progression or death, as defined in the protocol.
How to read it · Pitfalls →Disease-free survival
Disease-free survival · DFS
Time to recurrence or another specified event in a population free of disease after defined treatment.
How to read it · Pitfalls →Hazard ratio
Hazard ratio · HR
A comparison of instantaneous event hazards between groups over time.
How to read it · Pitfalls →Confidence interval
Confidence interval · CI
An interval describing the precision of an estimate, commonly reported at 95%.
How to read it · Pitfalls →Adverse event
Adverse event · AE
An unfavorable medical occurrence during treatment or a study; causation need not be established.
How to read it · Pitfalls →Randomized controlled trial
Randomized controlled trial · RCT
A trial assigning participants by chance to study groups to compare treatment effects.
How to read it · Pitfalls →Blinding
Blinding
Keeping some participants, investigators or assessors unaware of treatment allocation.
How to read it · Pitfalls →Comparator
Comparator
A group providing a comparison, using existing treatment, placebo or another regimen.
How to read it · Pitfalls →Primary endpoint
Primary endpoint
A prespecified outcome used to answer the central study question.
How to read it · Pitfalls →Intention-to-treat analysis
Intention-to-treat analysis · ITT
The principle of analyzing randomized patients in their originally assigned groups.
How to read it · Pitfalls →Phase 1 trial
Phase 1 trial
Early human research primarily exploring safety, dose and behavior in the body.
How to read it · Pitfalls →Phase 2 trial
Phase 2 trial
Further study of activity, dose and safety in the intended patient population.
How to read it · Pitfalls →Phase 3 trial
Phase 3 trial
Usually larger studies evaluating efficacy and safety to inform approval decisions.
How to read it · Pitfalls →Biomarker
Biomarker
A measurable characteristic indicating a biological process, disease process or response to an intervention.
How to read it · Pitfalls →Antibody–drug conjugate
Antibody–drug conjugate · ADC
A treatment linking an antibody to a drug payload through a linker.
How to read it · Pitfalls →Therapeutic cancer vaccine
Therapeutic cancer vaccine
A treatment strategy intended to help the immune system recognize and attack cancer cells.
How to read it · Pitfalls →Surrogate endpoint
Surrogate endpoint
A measure used in place of a direct clinical outcome and expected to predict benefit.
How to read it · Pitfalls →Accelerated approval
Accelerated approval
A US FDA pathway for serious conditions and unmet need, using a surrogate or intermediate endpoint reasonably likely to predict clinical benefit.
How to read it · Pitfalls →Confirmatory trial
Confirmatory trial
A study intended to confirm treatment benefit; after accelerated approval, it verifies anticipated clinical benefit.
How to read it · Pitfalls →Indication
Indication
The particular disease, patient population and setting for which a drug is approved.
How to read it · Pitfalls →Revenue
Revenue
Income recognized under accounting rules; biopharma revenue can include product sales and collaboration income.
How to read it · Pitfalls →Operating cash flow
Operating cash flow
Cash generated or used by operating activities in the cash-flow statement.
How to read it · Pitfalls →Cash runway
Cash runway
Estimated operating time supported by available funds under stated spending and funding assumptions.
How to read it · Pitfalls →Share dilution
Share dilution
New or potential shares can reduce existing shareholders’ ownership percentage.
How to read it · Pitfalls →Market capitalization
Market capitalization
Typically the share price multiplied by shares outstanding.
How to read it · Pitfalls →Earnings per share
Earnings per share · EPS
Earnings allocated per share using the applicable earnings and share-count basis.
How to read it · Pitfalls →Form 10-K
Form 10-K · 10-K
A comprehensive annual SEC filing, generally including audited financial statements, risks and management discussion.
How to read it · Pitfalls →No matches. Try an abbreviation or select All.
Reading aids for studies and company disclosures. Consult protocols, labels and financial notes for precise definitions. Approval entries focus on the US FDA. Updated October 29, 2026.