Summary
Curcumin has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Cystic Fibrosis would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Cystic Fibrosis. ClinicalTrials.gov lists 1 registered trial linking Curcumin to Cystic Fibrosis: 1 has completed. The most advanced is Phase 1 (NCT00219882). It plans or enrolled 11 participants. Registered activity dates to 2005. The literature layer holds 2 publications for this pair: 1 systematic review and 1 clinical trial publication. Publication years run from 2020 to 2022. 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 Cystic Fibrosis ranks 50 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: Progressive lung function decline; no spontaneous remission; historically median survival 30 years; now >50 years with CFTR modulators for eligible genotypes.
Evidence table
| Evidence tier | A · Strong |
|---|---|
| Evidence score | 28.0 (trials 3.0, literature 5.0, tier 15, approved bonus 5.0) |
| Registered trials | 1 total: 0 recruiting, 0 active / not yet recruiting, 1 completed, 0 other |
| Linked publications | 2 (1 systematic review, 1 clinical trial publication) |
| Agent type | Drug (Small molecule) |
| Development stage (any indication) | Approved |
| Mechanism / class | Not recorded |
| Data sources | DGIdb |
| Linked via biomarker / target | CFTR |
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trial scores by status (recruiting / active / enrolling 3, completed 2.5, not yet recruiting 2, unknown 1, terminated / withdrawn / suspended 0.5) plus a phase bonus (phase 3-4 +2, phase 2 +1, phase 1 +0.5).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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCT00219882 | Safety Study of Orally Administered Curcuminoids in Adult Subjects With Cystic Fibrosis 2005 | completed | Phase 1 | 11 |
Published literature
- Systematic review Curcumin supplementation in pediatric patients: A systematic review of current clinical evidenceHeidari Z, Daei M, Boozari M et al. · Phytotherapy research : PTR · 2022 · PMID 34904764
- Clinical trial publication Clinical effects of the three CFTR potentiator treatments curcumin, genistein and ivacaftor in patients with the CFTR-S1251N gating mutationBerkers G, van der Meer R, van Mourik P et al. · Journal of cystic fibrosis : official journal of the European Cystic Fibrosis Society · 2020 · PMID 32499204
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 DGIdb, in this case via the biomarker or target CFTR. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.
Frequently asked questions
Is Curcumin approved for Cystic Fibrosis?
Curcumin has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Cystic Fibrosis would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Cystic Fibrosis. Approval status for the specific indication should always be confirmed with the relevant regulator and prescribing information.
Is Curcumin in clinical trials for Cystic Fibrosis?
ClinicalTrials.gov lists 1 registered trial linking Curcumin to Cystic Fibrosis: 1 has completed. The most advanced is Phase 1 (NCT00219882). It plans or enrolled 11 participants. Registered activity dates to 2005.
What does the evidence show for Curcumin in Cystic Fibrosis?
Curcumin has both completed registered trials and synthesis-level publications linked to Cystic Fibrosis. 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 CFTR. 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 2026-07-06. Page built 2026-10-07.