Pharmacodynamics — What It Means in Clinical Trials
Plain English Definition
Pharmacodynamics (PD) is the study of what a drug does to your body — its biological effects. While pharmacokinetics asks "what does the body do to the drug?", pharmacodynamics asks "what does the drug do to the body?" This includes both the desired effects and side effects.
Why It Matters
PD data helps researchers understand whether the drug is hitting its target in your body. You may need biopsies or specific blood tests so researchers can measure the drug's effect on your disease.
Example
A listing might say: "Pharmacodynamic tumor biopsies required at baseline and week 4 to assess target engagement."
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