EU Summary of Product Characteristics — defined frequency bands as a tier convention
Created 2026-06-23
Summary
Claim: The EU Summary of Product Characteristics convention uses defined frequency bands with verbal labels:
- Very common: ≥1/10
- Common: ≥1/100 to <1/10
- Uncommon: ≥1/1,000 to <1/100
- Rare: ≥1/10,000 to <1/1,000
- Very rare: <1/10,000
- Not known: cannot be estimated from the available data
Low/Medium/High risk-matrix banding is likewise standard in safety and risk management.
Source: EU SmPC convention.
Confidence: Verified.
Why this matters for Candid: Bands are a recognized, legitimate format for inherently imprecise quantities. BUT verbal band labels MUST be anchored, or they fail — the EU experience is itself a cautionary tale (Knapp et al. 2004 — EU verbal frequency labels cause dramatic overestimation of medical risk).
Related entries
Referenced by (3)
- reference Research brief: SMB widget presentation layer — tiered results without overclaiming (June 2026) relates-to
- rule Rule — 4 tiers max, plain labels, visual scale, drivers shown depends-on
- reference Knapp et al. 2004 — EU verbal frequency labels cause dramatic overestimation of medical risk relates-to