Summary
Ephedrine Sulfate has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Asthma would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Asthma. No registered clinical trial in this database tests Ephedrine Sulfate specifically in Asthma. The evidence below comes from published literature only, so any clinical signal has not yet been tested prospectively against this condition in a registered study. The literature layer holds 4 publications for this pair: 4 clinical trial publications. Publication years run from 1975 to 1979. These are primary trial reports rather than syntheses, so results have not yet been pooled or graded independently.
The RepurpOS disease-intelligence file for Asthma ranks 642 candidate therapeutics from Open Targets, ChEMBL, DGIdb and PubMed; only a minority carry direct clinical evidence, and this page covers one of those. Spontaneous remission context recorded for the condition: 26% of childhood-onset asthma in clinical remission by adulthood; <20% adult-onset achieves sustained remission; 65% long-term remission in mild-moderate vs 16% in severe.
Evidence table
| Evidence tier | A · Strong |
|---|---|
| Evidence score | 28.0 (trials 0.0, literature 8.0, tier 15, approved bonus 5.0) |
| Registered trials | 0 total: 0 recruiting, 0 active / not yet recruiting, 0 completed, 0 other |
| Linked publications | 4 (4 clinical trial publications) |
| Agent type | Drug (Small molecule) |
| Development stage (any indication) | Approved |
| Mechanism / class | Not recorded |
| Data sources | Open Targets, ChEMBL |
How the evidence score is calculated
- Each registered trial scores by status (recruiting / active / enrolling 3, completed 2.5, not yet recruiting 2, unknown 1, terminated / withdrawn / suspended 0.5) plus a phase bonus (phase 3-4 +2, phase 2 +1, phase 1 +0.5). The trial component is capped at 30.
- Each literature item scores by design (Cochrane review 5, meta-analysis 4, systematic review 3, RCT 3, clinical trial publication 2, curated reference 1.5, other PubMed record 1). The literature component is capped at 30.
- The existing evidence tier adds 15 (A / Strong), 10 (B / Moderate), 5 (C / Preliminary) or 0 (D / Anecdotal).
- Agents approved for any indication (max clinical phase 4) add 5, because an approved agent has an established safety profile that lowers the barrier to repurposing trials.
- The score ranks what has been studied, not what works. It does not read effect sizes or directions of effect.
Registered clinical trials
No registered trial links Ephedrine Sulfate to Asthma in the current OSMF trial extract.
Published literature
- Clinical trial publication A comparative study of bronchodilator effects of carbuterol and ephedrineJames TD, Lyons HA · JAMA · 1979 · PMID 368368
- Clinical trial publication Double-blind trial of oral carbuterol in bronchial asthmaMiller J, Wallace D, Grieco MH et al. · Annals of allergy · 1977 · PMID 18957
- Clinical trial publication Ephedrine therapy in asthmatic children. Clinical tolerance and absence of side effectsTinkelman DG, Avner SE · JAMA · 1977 · PMID 319269
- Clinical trial publication Subsensitivity to epinephrine following the administration of epinephrine and ephedrine to normal individualsNelson HS, Black JW, Branch LB et al. · The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology · 1975 · PMID 164490
Mechanism and notes
No mechanism of action is recorded for this pair in the source databases.
OSMF's existing evidence tier for this pair is A (Strong), derived from the strength of the disease association recorded in Open Targets and ChEMBL. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.
Frequently asked questions
Is Ephedrine Sulfate approved for Asthma?
Ephedrine Sulfate has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Asthma would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Asthma. Approval status for the specific indication should always be confirmed with the relevant regulator and prescribing information.
Is Ephedrine Sulfate in clinical trials for Asthma?
No registered clinical trial in this database tests Ephedrine Sulfate specifically in Asthma. The evidence below comes from published literature only, so any clinical signal has not yet been tested prospectively against this condition in a registered study.
What does the evidence show for Ephedrine Sulfate in Asthma?
The record for Ephedrine Sulfate in Asthma rests on 4 publications without a registered trial. This is a lead for hypothesis generation, not evidence of efficacy. OSMF's existing evidence tier for this pair is A (Strong), derived from the strength of the disease association recorded in Open Targets and ChEMBL. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.
Cite this page
Data: ClinicalTrials.gov, PubMed, Open Targets, ChEMBL, DGIdb and the OSMF therapeutic agent database. Last updated 2026-07-05. Page built 2026-10-07.