Summary
Nadolol has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Glaucoma would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Glaucoma. No registered clinical trial in this database tests Nadolol specifically in Glaucoma. 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 6 publications for this pair: 1 randomised controlled trial publication and 5 clinical trial publications. Publication years run from 1982 to 1991. These are primary trial reports rather than syntheses, so results have not yet been pooled or graded independently.
The RepurpOS disease-intelligence file for Glaucoma ranks 339 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 optic nerve damage without treatment; average visual field loss 0.5-1.0 dB/year; blindness in 10-20% without treatment; no spontaneous recovery of lost vision.
Evidence table
| Evidence tier | A · Strong |
|---|---|
| Evidence score | 33.0 (trials 0.0, literature 13.0, tier 15, approved bonus 5.0) |
| Registered trials | 0 total: 0 recruiting, 0 active / not yet recruiting, 0 completed, 0 other |
| Linked publications | 6 (5 clinical trial publications, 1 randomised controlled trial publication) |
| Agent type | Drug (Small molecule) |
| Development stage (any indication) | Approved |
| Mechanism / class | Not recorded |
| Data sources | DGIdb |
| Linked via biomarker / target | ADRA2C |
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trial scores by status (recruiting / active / enrolling 3, completed 2.5, not yet recruiting 2, unknown 1, terminated / withdrawn / suspended 0.5) plus a phase bonus (phase 3-4 +2, phase 2 +1, phase 1 +0.5).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 Nadolol to Glaucoma in the current OSMF trial extract.
Published literature
- Clinical trial publication A prospective study of oral Nadolol in the management of patients with newly diagnosed chronic simple glaucomaDowd TC, Harding S, Rennie I · Journal of ocular pharmacology · 1991 · PMID 2061688
- Clinical trial publication A comparison of the effects of oral nadolol and topical timolol on intraocular pressure, blood pressure, and heart rateDuff GR, Watt AH, Graham PA · The British journal of ophthalmology · 1987 · PMID 3663564
- Clinical trial publication Comparative efficacy of orally and topically administered beta blockers for chronic simple glaucomaWilliamson J, Young JD, Atta H et al. · The British journal of ophthalmology · 1985 · PMID 2856893
- Clinical trial publication Effect of orally administered nadolol on the intraocular pressure in normal volunteersWilliamson J, Atta HR, Kennedy PA et al. · The British journal of ophthalmology · 1985 · PMID 2856892
- Clinical trial publication Diacetyl derivative of nadolol. I. Ocular pharmacology and short-term ocular hypotensive effect in glaucomatous eyesDuzman E, Chen CC, Anderson J et al. · Archives of ophthalmology (Chicago, Ill. : 1960) · 1982 · PMID 6756362
- Randomized controlled trial The comparative multiple-dose intraocular pressure responses of nadolol and timolol in glaucoma and ocular hypertensionKrieglstein GK, Mohamed J · Acta ophthalmologica · 1982 · PMID 6127861
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 ADRA2C. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.
Frequently asked questions
Is Nadolol approved for Glaucoma?
Nadolol has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Glaucoma would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Glaucoma. Approval status for the specific indication should always be confirmed with the relevant regulator and prescribing information.
Is Nadolol in clinical trials for Glaucoma?
No registered clinical trial in this database tests Nadolol specifically in Glaucoma. 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 Nadolol in Glaucoma?
The record for Nadolol in Glaucoma rests on 6 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 DGIdb, in this case via the biomarker or target ADRA2C. 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.