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Compound Evidence InstituteEvidence synthesis · established 2023Graded assessments of compounds, trials, methods and supply
Document set current to 30 July 2026
Defined term · Outcomes and endpoints

Primary endpoint

The outcome on which a trial is powered and against which its success is judged. A trial has one primary endpoint, or a small number designated co-primary with an explicit multiplicity plan.

Document identifier
CEI-GT-087
Series
Defined term
Version
1.0
Published
30 Jul 2026
Last reviewed
30 Jul 2026
Certainty
Not rated

§1Primary endpoint

§1.1Also known as

Primary outcome

§1.2Category

Outcomes and endpoints — Terms describing what a study measures and what the measurement supports.

§1.3Related terms

  • Secondary endpoint — An outcome measured alongside the primary endpoint. Confirmatory only where it occupies a place in a pre-specified testing hierarchy that was reached.
  • Testing hierarchy — A pre-specified order in which endpoints are tested, in which testing stops at the first failure. An endpoint below the point of failure is not confirmatory regardless…
Compound Evidence Institute · CEI-GT-087 · https://compoundevidence.com/glossary/primary-endpoint/ · retrieved 30 July 2026
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