Summary
Epinephrine Bitartrate has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Heart Failure would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Heart Failure. ClinicalTrials.gov lists 8 registered trials linking Epinephrine Bitartrate to Heart Failure: 1 is currently recruiting; 1 is active or not yet recruiting; 2 have completed; 4 are terminated, withdrawn, suspended or of unknown status. The most advanced is Phase 4 (NCT04369573). The largest enrolment is 5000 participants (NCT04682483). Registration activity spans 2003 to 2026. No published literature item is linked to Epinephrine Bitartrate and Heart Failure in the OSMF database yet, so the record rests on registry entries alone. Registry entries describe intent to study, not outcomes.
The RepurpOS disease-intelligence file for Heart Failure ranks 616 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: Annual mortality ~22% on standard care; only 5-11% of HFrEF patients achieve normalisation of ejection fraction (HFrecEF) with GDMT; HFpEF has no disease-modifying therapy.
Evidence table
| Evidence tier | A · Strong |
|---|---|
| Evidence score | 41.5 (trials 21.5, literature 0.0, tier 15, approved bonus 5.0) |
| Registered trials | 8 total: 1 recruiting, 1 active / not yet recruiting, 2 completed, 4 other |
| Linked publications | 0 |
| Agent type | Drug (Small molecule) |
| Development stage (any indication) | Approved |
| Mechanism / class | agonist |
| Data sources | DGIdb |
| Linked via biomarker / target | ADRB3 |
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trial scores by status (recruiting / active / enrolling 3, completed 2.5, not yet recruiting 2, unknown 1, terminated / withdrawn / suspended 0.5) plus a phase bonus (phase 3-4 +2, phase 2 +1, phase 1 +0.5).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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCT01616069 | Assessment of Hemodynamic Response in Cardiopulmonary Bypass Graft After Cardiopulmonary Bypass Using Transesophegeal Echocardiography 2012 | completed | Phase 4 | 81 |
| NCT04369573 | Study on Early Intra-aortic Balloon Pump Placement in Acute Decompensated Heart Failure Complicated by Cardiogenic Shock 2020 | terminated | Phase 4 | 100 |
| NCT00446017 | The Effects of Adrenaline and Milrinone in Patients With Myocardial Dysfunction After CABG 2003 | completed | Phase 3 | 60 |
| NCT02617602 | Goal Directed Hemodynamic Management of Acute Heart Failure After Cardiac Surgery in Children 2015 | status unknown | Phase 3 | 40 |
| NCT07667829 | Vasopressor Agents in Pulmonary Hypertension Crisis 2026 | not yet recruiting | Not applicable | 75 |
| NCT04682483 | Cardiogenic Shock Working Group Registry 2017 | recruiting | Not applicable | 5,000 |
| NCT05202938 | eMESH Struct. 2022-23 2022 | status unknown | Not applicable | 32 |
| NCT02228083 | Dental Anesthesia in Heart Failure Patients 2014 | status unknown | Not applicable | 70 |
Published literature
No publication is linked to this pair yet.
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 ADRB3. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.
Frequently asked questions
Is Epinephrine Bitartrate approved for Heart Failure?
Epinephrine Bitartrate has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Heart Failure would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Heart Failure. Approval status for the specific indication should always be confirmed with the relevant regulator and prescribing information.
Is Epinephrine Bitartrate in clinical trials for Heart Failure?
ClinicalTrials.gov lists 8 registered trials linking Epinephrine Bitartrate to Heart Failure: 1 is currently recruiting; 1 is active or not yet recruiting; 2 have completed; 4 are terminated, withdrawn, suspended or of unknown status. The most advanced is Phase 4 (NCT04369573). The largest enrolment is 5000 participants (NCT04682483). Registration activity spans 2003 to 2026.
What does the evidence show for Epinephrine Bitartrate in Heart Failure?
Epinephrine Bitartrate has 2 completed registered trials for Heart Failure but no linked publication, which usually means results are unpublished, pending, or not yet matched to this record. 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 ADRB3. 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.