Summary
Telmisartan has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Chronic Kidney Disease would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Chronic Kidney Disease. ClinicalTrials.gov lists 8 registered trials linking Telmisartan to Chronic Kidney Disease: 1 is active or not yet recruiting; 5 have completed; 2 are terminated, withdrawn, suspended or of unknown status. The most advanced is Phase 4 (NCT00741585). It plans or enrolled 21983 participants. Registration activity spans 1998 to 2026. The literature layer holds 6 publications for this pair: 1 systematic review and 5 clinical trial publications. Publication years run from 2012 to 2026. 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 Chronic Kidney Disease ranks 534 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: GFR decline averages 2-5 mL/min/year on standard care (ACE/ARB + blood pressure control); progression to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in ~20-30% at 10 years for moderate CKD; reversal essentially impossible once structural fibrosis established.
Evidence table
| Evidence tier | A · Strong |
|---|---|
| Evidence score | 63.0 (trials 30.0, literature 13.0, tier 15, approved bonus 5.0) |
| Registered trials | 8 total: 0 recruiting, 1 active / not yet recruiting, 5 completed, 2 other |
| Linked publications | 6 (5 clinical trial publications, 1 systematic review) |
| Agent type | Drug (Small molecule) |
| Development stage (any indication) | Approved |
| Mechanism / class | inhibitor; inhibitor |
| Data sources | DGIdb |
| Linked via biomarker / target | AGTR1 |
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trial scores by status (recruiting / active / enrolling 3, completed 2.5, not yet recruiting 2, unknown 1, terminated / withdrawn / suspended 0.5) plus a phase bonus (phase 3-4 +2, phase 2 +1, phase 1 +0.5).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
| NCT ID | Title | Status | Phase | Enrolment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCT01541267 | The Effect of Various Types of the Renin-angiotensin-aldosterone System Blockade on Proteinuria 2009 | completed | Phase 4 | 20 |
| NCT00741585 | Prognostic Value of the Circadian Pattern of Ambulatory Blood Pressure for Multiple Risk Assessment 2008 | completed | Phase 4 | 21,983 |
| NCT01271478 | Use of Telmisartan and Captopril in Inflammation of Hemodialysis Patients 2009 | completed | Phase 4 | 60 |
| NCT07547878 | Rapid and Simultaneous Initiation of Four Guideline-Directed CKD Therapies (RAPID-CKD) 2026 | not yet recruiting | Phase 4 | 64 |
| NCT03550859 | HMG-CoA Reductase add-on in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients With Proteinuria 2018 | status unknown | Phase 4 | 374 |
| NCT01377285 | Renoprotection by Pentoxifylline and Angiotensin Receptor Blocker in Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) 2010 | status unknown | Phase 4 | 350 |
| NCT00221845 | Effect of Strict Blood Pressure Control and ACE-Inhibition on Progression of Chronic Renal Failure in Pediatric Patients 1998 | completed | Phase 3 | 400 |
| NCT00528385 | Optimalization of Nephroprotection Using Agents Inhibiting Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System 2005 | completed | Not applicable | — |
Published literature
- Clinical trial publication Pharmacogenomics-Guided Precision Therapy for Chronic Kidney Disease with Resistant Hypertension: A Prospective Cohort StudyHa X, Gao X, Teng W et al. · Kidney & blood pressure research · 2026 · PMID 41363682
- Clinical trial publication A Clinical Multicenter Randomized Controlled Study on JianpiQinghua Decoction in Treating Stage 3 Chronic Kidney Disease with A Syndrome Type of Dampness-heat due to Spleen DeficiencyYu KN, Ni ZH, Wang NS et al. · Zhongguo yi xue ke xue yuan xue bao. Acta Academiae Medicinae Sinicae · 2016 · PMID 28065235
- Clinical trial publication Effects of Ramipril and Telmisartan on Plasma Concentrations of Low Molecular Weight and Protein Thiols and Carotid Intima Media Thickness in Patients with Chronic Kidney DiseaseZinellu A, Sotgia S, Mangoni AA et al. · Disease markers · 2016 · PMID 27881888
- Clinical trial publication Comparison of Efficacy of Long-term Oral Treatment with Telmisartan and Benazepril in Cats with Chronic Kidney DiseaseSent U, Gössl R, Elliott J et al. · Journal of veterinary internal medicine · 2015 · PMID 26474314
- Clinical trial publication Angiotensin blockade in late autosomal dominant polycystic kidney diseaseTorres VE, Abebe KZ, Chapman AB et al. · The New England journal of medicine · 2014 · PMID 25399731
- Systematic review Management of hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, and albuminuria in patients with diabetes and CKD: a systematic review for a KDOQI clinical practice guidelineSlinin Y, Ishani A, Rector T et al. · American journal of kidney diseases : the official journal of the National Kidney Foundation · 2012 · PMID 22999165
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 AGTR1. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.
Frequently asked questions
Is Telmisartan approved for Chronic Kidney Disease?
Telmisartan has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Chronic Kidney Disease would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Chronic Kidney Disease. Approval status for the specific indication should always be confirmed with the relevant regulator and prescribing information.
Is Telmisartan in clinical trials for Chronic Kidney Disease?
ClinicalTrials.gov lists 8 registered trials linking Telmisartan to Chronic Kidney Disease: 1 is active or not yet recruiting; 5 have completed; 2 are terminated, withdrawn, suspended or of unknown status. The most advanced is Phase 4 (NCT00741585). It plans or enrolled 21983 participants. Registration activity spans 1998 to 2026.
What does the evidence show for Telmisartan in Chronic Kidney Disease?
Telmisartan has both completed registered trials and synthesis-level publications linked to Chronic Kidney Disease. That is the strongest profile in this database, but the summaries here do not extract effect sizes, so read the linked reviews for direction and magnitude of benefit. 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 AGTR1. 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.