Anavex Life Sciences Corp (AVXL)

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I have been searching for a good source to explain the "unexpected therapeutic response" terminology.

Here is the best I have come up with:

"Abstract

A systematic classification system has been developed for the categorization of therapeutic effects of individual drugs based on their relationships to the underlying disease processes being treated or prevented, rather than on the pharmacologic or biochemical effects of the individual drugs. This system involves a total of six categories of different therapeutic specificities, involving four categories based on disease process-oriented mechanisms of drug action (Categories I through IV), and two additional ones (Categories 0 and V) to complete the classification system. Category 0 includes drugs or drug uses that prevent the development of a disease when none exists; Category I, those that affect etiologic factors of a disease; Category II, those that affect specific disease processes; Category III, those that affect specific disease manifestations; Category IV, those that affect non-specific disease manifestations or symptoms; and Category V includes drug uses or drugs used to diagnose or facilitate treatment of a disease. Examples are provided for each category as well as for applications of the classification system.

A therapeutic effect is a consequence of a medical treatment of any kind, the results of which are judged to be desirable and beneficial. This is true whether the result was expected, unexpected, or even an unintended consequence of the treatment. An adverse effect, on the other hand, is a harmful and undesired effect.

What constitutes a therapeutic effect versus a side effect is a matter of both the nature of the situation in which a treatment is used and the goals of treatment. There is no inherent difference between therapeutic and undesired side effects; both responses are behavioral/physiologic changes which occur as a response to the treatment strategy or agent. However, those changes which are viewed as desirable, given the situation, are called therapeutic; those undesirable for the situation are viewed as harmful."

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Therapeutic_effect