Summary
Norepinephrine 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. ClinicalTrials.gov lists 2 registered trials linking Norepinephrine to Glaucoma: 2 have completed. None of the registered studies carries a drug-development phase label, which is typical for behavioural, device and supplement protocols. It plans or enrolled 174 participants. Registration activity spans 2017 to 2021. The literature layer holds 7 publications for this pair: 1 meta-analysis, 1 systematic review and 5 clinical trial publications. Publication years run from 1991 to 2021. 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 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 | 42.0 (trials 5.0, literature 17.0, tier 15, approved bonus 5.0) |
| Registered trials | 2 total: 0 recruiting, 0 active / not yet recruiting, 2 completed, 0 other |
| Linked publications | 7 (5 clinical trial publications, 1 meta-analysis, 1 systematic review) |
| Agent type | Drug (Small molecule) |
| Development stage (any indication) | Approved |
| Mechanism / class | agonist |
| 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trial scores by status (recruiting / active / enrolling 3, completed 2.5, not yet recruiting 2, unknown 1, terminated / withdrawn / suspended 0.5) plus a phase bonus (phase 3-4 +2, phase 2 +1, phase 1 +0.5).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
| NCT ID | Title | Status | Phase | Enrolment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCT07567651 | Citicoline and Filtration Surgery 2021 | completed | Not applicable | 6 |
| NCT03094910 | Investigation of the Rewarming og the Fingers After Cooling and the Autonomic Nervous System in Raynaud's Phenomenon 2017 | completed | Not applicable | 174 |
Published literature
- Systematic review Pupil Reactions to Tactile Stimulation: A Systematic ReviewGusso MM, Serur G, Nohama P · Frontiers in neuroscience · 2021 · PMID 33692668
- Clinical trial publication The Effects of Netarsudil Ophthalmic Solution on Aqueous Humor Dynamics in a Randomized Study in HumansKazemi A, McLaren JW, Kopczynski CC et al. · Journal of ocular pharmacology and therapeutics : the official journal of the Association for Ocular Pharmacology and Therapeutics · 2018 · PMID 29469601
- Clinical trial publication Two Phase 3 Clinical Trials Comparing the Safety and Efficacy of Netarsudil to Timolol in Patients With Elevated Intraocular Pressure: Rho Kinase Elevated IOP Treatment Trial 1 and 2 (ROCKET-1 and ROCKET-2)Serle JB, Katz LJ, McLaurin E et al. · American journal of ophthalmology · 2018 · PMID 29199013
- Meta-analysis The risk of glaucoma and serotonergic antidepressants: A systematic review and meta-analysisWang HY, Tseng PT, Stubbs B et al. · Journal of affective disorders · 2018 · PMID 30096594
- Clinical trial publication Fixed-dose combination of AR-13324 and latanoprost: a double-masked, 28-day, randomised, controlled study in patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertensionLewis RA, Levy B, Ramirez N et al. · The British journal of ophthalmology · 2016 · PMID 26209587
- Clinical trial publication Double-masked, randomized, dose-response study of AR-13324 versus latanoprost in patients with elevated intraocular pressureBacharach J, Dubiner HB, Levy B et al. · Ophthalmology · 2015 · PMID 25270273
- Clinical trial publication Intraocular pressure increases with fenoldopam, but not nitroprusside, in hypertensive humansElliott WJ, Karnezis TA, Silverman RA et al. · Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics · 1991 · PMID 1672512
Mechanism and notes
Recorded mechanism or class: agonist.
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 Norepinephrine approved for Glaucoma?
Norepinephrine 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 Norepinephrine in clinical trials for Glaucoma?
ClinicalTrials.gov lists 2 registered trials linking Norepinephrine to Glaucoma: 2 have completed. None of the registered studies carries a drug-development phase label, which is typical for behavioural, device and supplement protocols. It plans or enrolled 174 participants. Registration activity spans 2017 to 2021.
What does the evidence show for Norepinephrine in Glaucoma?
Norepinephrine has both completed registered trials and synthesis-level publications linked to Glaucoma. 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 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.