Adverse event
An unfavorable medical occurrence during a study; it is not automatically caused by the intervention.
09 · FEMETRIC REFERENCE
Glossary
Search definitions for study, route, status, calculation and product-testing terminology.LAST REVIEWED 2026-09-13Assay
A quantitative test estimating the amount or potency of a substance in a sample.
Bioavailability
The rate and extent at which an active substance reaches systemic circulation.
Blinding
Keeping participants, investigators or assessors unaware of treatment assignment to reduce bias.
Clinical trial
A prospective study in human participants designed to answer a health-related intervention question.
COA
Certificate of analysis: a lot-specific report of tests, acceptance criteria and results.
Confidence interval
A range describing uncertainty around an estimated effect.
Concentration
Amount of substance per unit volume, commonly expressed as mg/mL or mcg/mL.
Endpoint
A prespecified outcome used to evaluate an intervention.
Endotoxin
Bacterial lipopolysaccharide measured separately from identity, purity and sterility.
Excursion
A temporary departure from a product's labeled storage conditions.
Formulation
The specific composition and dosage form of a product; blend names alone may not define one.
In vitro
Research performed in cells, tissues or another controlled environment outside a living organism.
Investigational
Under study and not established as approved for the described use.
Preclinical
Laboratory or animal research conducted before or outside human clinical trials.
Primary source
The original study report, trial registry, regulator document or product label.
Purity
The measured proportion of the primary substance relative to detected material under a stated method.
Randomization
Assignment by chance to study groups to reduce systematic differences.
Route
How a substance is administered, such as oral, subcutaneous or intravenous.
Serious adverse event
An event meeting defined seriousness criteria such as hospitalization or life threat; seriousness differs from severity.
Sterility
Absence of viable contaminating microorganisms under a validated test; it is not shown by purity.
U-100
A syringe calibration in which 100 marked units correspond to 1 mL of volume.
Primary and authoritative context
NCBI BookshelfClinical research glossaryReviewed 2026-09-13NEXT RESEARCH ACTION