Calculate therapeutic index from TD50 or LD50 and ED50, or solve for a missing dose value with mg, g, µg, and kg unit options and view interpretation.

Therapeutic Index Calculator

Enter any 2 values to calculate the missing variable

Toxic Dose (TD50)
Lethal Dose (LD50)

Therapeutic Index Formula

The following formula is used to calculate the Therapeutic Index.

TI = TD50 / ED50

Variables:

  • TI is the Therapeutic Index
  • TD50 is the median toxic dose
  • ED50 is the median effective dose

To calculate the Therapeutic Index, divide the median toxic dose by the median effective dose. The Therapeutic Index is a measure of the safety of a drug, with higher values indicating a safer drug.

What is a Therapeutic Index?

A Therapeutic Index (TI) is a comparison of the amount of a therapeutic agent that causes the therapeutic effect to the amount that causes toxicity. It is used to assess the safety margin of drugs, with a higher TI indicating a safer drug. The closer the TI is to 1, the more likely the drug is to cause toxicity. Therefore, drugs with a high TI are preferred for treatment as they have a wider margin of safety.

How to Calculate Therapeutic Index?

The following steps outline how to calculate the Therapeutic Index (TI) using the formula TI = TD50 / ED50.


  1. First, determine the median toxic dose (TD50).
  2. Next, determine the median effective dose (ED50).
  3. Next, gather the formula from above = TI = TD50 / ED50.
  4. Finally, calculate the Therapeutic Index (TI).
  5. After inserting the values for TD50 and ED50 and calculating the result, check your answer with the calculator above.

Example Problem:

Use the following variables as an example problem to test your knowledge:

TD50 (median toxic dose) = 50

ED50 (median effective dose) = 10