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Document set current to 30 July 2026
Defined term · Pharmacology

Partial agonist

A ligand producing a submaximal response at full receptor occupancy. May behave as an antagonist in the presence of a full agonist.

Document identifier
CEI-GT-103
Series
Defined term
Version
1.0
Published
30 Jul 2026
Last reviewed
30 Jul 2026
Certainty
Not rated

§1Partial agonist

§1.2Category

Pharmacology — Terms describing how a compound acts and how the body handles it.

§1.3Related terms

  • Agonist — A ligand that binds a receptor and produces a response. Full agonists produce the maximal response the system can give; partial agonists produce less at full occupancy.
  • Biased agonism — Preferential activation of one signalling pathway over another from the same receptor. Proposed as a means of separating a desired effect from receptor internalisation…
Compound Evidence Institute · CEI-GT-103 · https://compoundevidence.com/glossary/partial-agonist/ · retrieved 30 July 2026
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