Summary
L-Carnitine has reached Preclinical as its most advanced recorded development stage across any indication, and the database holds no approval for COPD. ClinicalTrials.gov lists 1 registered trial linking L-Carnitine to COPD: 1 has completed. The most advanced is PHASE2, PHASE3 (NCT03008356). It plans or enrolled 33 participants. Registered activity dates to 2017. The literature layer holds 2 publications for this pair: 1 Cochrane review and 1 clinical trial publication. Publication years run from 2006 to 2025. 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 Obstructive Pulmonary Disease ranks 505 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: Effectively zero — airflow obstruction is irreversible by definition in COPD; FEV1 decline continues at 30-60 mL/year on standard care.
Evidence table
| Evidence tier | C · Preliminary |
|---|---|
| Evidence score | 14.5 (trials 2.5, literature 7.0, tier 5, approved bonus 0.0) |
| Registered trials | 1 total: 0 recruiting, 0 active / not yet recruiting, 1 completed, 0 other |
| Linked publications | 2 (1 Cochrane review, 1 clinical trial publication) |
| Agent type | Supplement |
| Development stage (any indication) | Preclinical |
| Mechanism / class | Herbal medicine for COPD · Halma MTJ, Saleeby Y, Tuszynski J · 2024 |
| Data sources | OSMF Chronic Disease Review |
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trial scores by status (recruiting / active / enrolling 3, completed 2.5, not yet recruiting 2, unknown 1, terminated / withdrawn / suspended 0.5) plus a phase bonus (phase 3-4 +2, phase 2 +1, phase 1 +0.5).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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCT03008356 | L-carnitine for Fatigue in COPD 2017 | completed | PHASE2, PHASE3 | 33 |
Published literature
- Cochrane review Comparative Efficacy of Nutritional Supplements in Modulating Lung Function and Exercise Capacity in COPD Patients: A Network Meta-AnalysisZeng Y, He T, Ma X et al. · International journal of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease · 2025 · PMID 40401105
- Clinical trial publication L-carnitine as an ergogenic aid for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease submitted to whole-body and respiratory muscle training programsBorghi-Silva A, Baldissera V, Sampaio LM et al. · Brazilian journal of medical and biological research = Revista brasileira de pesquisas medicas e biologicas · 2006 · PMID 16612469
Mechanism and notes
Recorded mechanism or class: Herbal medicine for COPD · Halma MTJ, Saleeby Y, Tuszynski J · 2024.
OSMF's existing evidence tier for this pair is C (Preliminary), derived from the strength of the disease association recorded in OSMF Chronic Disease Review. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.
Frequently asked questions
Is L-Carnitine approved for COPD?
L-Carnitine has reached Preclinical as its most advanced recorded development stage across any indication, and the database holds no approval for COPD. Approval status for the specific indication should always be confirmed with the relevant regulator and prescribing information.
Is L-Carnitine in clinical trials for COPD?
ClinicalTrials.gov lists 1 registered trial linking L-Carnitine to COPD: 1 has completed. The most advanced is PHASE2, PHASE3 (NCT03008356). It plans or enrolled 33 participants. Registered activity dates to 2017.
What does the evidence show for L-Carnitine in COPD?
L-Carnitine has both completed registered trials and synthesis-level publications linked to COPD. 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 C (Preliminary), derived from the strength of the disease association recorded in OSMF Chronic Disease Review. 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.