Disease × agent evidence record

Timolol for Atrial Fibrillation: evidence, trials and status

Synthesis-level literature links Timolol to Atrial Fibrillation, but no registered trial in this database tests the pair, so the evidence is observational, pooled from other indications, or pre-dates registry practice.

0 registered trials 0 recruiting 9 publications Evidence tier A · Strong Score 50.0
Research Tracker › Pairs › Atrial Fibrillation › Timolol
Research map, not treatment advice. This page aggregates registry and literature records. It does not evaluate efficacy, dosing or safety for any individual. Discuss any treatment decision with a qualified clinician.

Summary

Timolol has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Atrial Fibrillation would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Atrial Fibrillation. No registered clinical trial in this database tests Timolol specifically in Atrial Fibrillation. 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 9 publications for this pair: 4 Cochrane reviews and 5 clinical trial publications. Publication years run from 1984 to 2019. Because at least one synthesis-level source exists (systematic review, meta-analysis or Cochrane review), this pair has been assessed beyond single studies, although the synthesis may concern a different indication.

The RepurpOS disease-intelligence file for Atrial Fibrillation ranks 332 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: Spontaneous reversion to sinus rhythm occurs in ~50% of paroxysmal AF within 24-48 hours; persistent AF almost never self-terminates; rate-control (the dominant strategy) by definition keeps the patient in AF.

Open in Repurposing ExplorerAtrial Fibrillation hubAtrial Fibrillation biomarkers & interventions

Evidence table

Evidence tierA · Strong
Evidence score50.0 (trials 0.0, literature 30.0, tier 15, approved bonus 5.0)
Registered trials0 total: 0 recruiting, 0 active / not yet recruiting, 0 completed, 0 other
Linked publications9 (5 clinical trial publications, 4 Cochrane reviews)
Agent typeDrug (Small molecule)
Development stage (any indication)Approved
Mechanism / classinhibitor; inhibitor
Data sourcesDGIdb
Linked via biomarker / targetADRB2
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 Timolol to Atrial Fibrillation in the current OSMF trial extract.

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Published literature

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Mechanism and notes

Recorded mechanism or class: inhibitor; inhibitor.

OSMF's existing evidence tier for this pair is A (Strong), derived from the strength of the disease association recorded in DGIdb, in this case via the biomarker or target ADRB2. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.

Frequently asked questions

Is Timolol approved for Atrial Fibrillation?

Timolol has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Atrial Fibrillation would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Atrial Fibrillation. Approval status for the specific indication should always be confirmed with the relevant regulator and prescribing information.

Is Timolol in clinical trials for Atrial Fibrillation?

No registered clinical trial in this database tests Timolol specifically in Atrial Fibrillation. 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 Timolol in Atrial Fibrillation?

Synthesis-level literature links Timolol to Atrial Fibrillation, but no registered trial in this database tests the pair, so the evidence is observational, pooled from other indications, or pre-dates registry practice. OSMF's existing evidence tier for this pair is A (Strong), derived from the strength of the disease association recorded in DGIdb, in this case via the biomarker or target ADRB2. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.

Cite this page

Open Source Medicine Foundation. Timolol for Atrial Fibrillation: evidence, trials and status. OSMF Research Tracker. Updated 2026-07-05. https://research.opensourcemed.info/pairs/atrial-fibrillation/timolol.html

Data: ClinicalTrials.gov, PubMed, Open Targets, ChEMBL, DGIdb and the OSMF therapeutic agent database. Last updated 2026-07-05. Page built 2026-10-07.

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This is a research map, not treatment advice. Evidence tiers and scores summarise what has been studied, not whether a treatment works or is safe for you.