Summary
Pindolol 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 4 registered trials linking Pindolol to Heart Failure: 2 are currently recruiting; 2 have completed. The most advanced is Phase 4 (NCT05585125). It plans or enrolled 20 participants. Registration activity spans 2021 to 2024. The literature layer holds 6 publications for this pair: 1 Cochrane review and 5 clinical trial publications. Publication years run from 1982 to 2023. 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 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 | 54.0 (trials 19.0, literature 15.0, tier 15, approved bonus 5.0) |
| Registered trials | 4 total: 2 recruiting, 0 active / not yet recruiting, 2 completed, 0 other |
| Linked publications | 6 (5 clinical trial publications, 1 Cochrane review) |
| Agent type | Drug (Small molecule) |
| Development stage (any indication) | Approved |
| Mechanism / class | inhibitor |
| 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trial scores by status (recruiting / active / enrolling 3, completed 2.5, not yet recruiting 2, unknown 1, terminated / withdrawn / suspended 0.5) plus a phase bonus (phase 3-4 +2, phase 2 +1, phase 1 +0.5).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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCT04757584 | Pilot Deprescribing N-of-1 Trials for Beta-blockers in HFpEF 2021 | completed | Phase 4 | 9 |
| NCT04767061 | Impact of Beta-blockers on Physical Function in HFpEF 2021 | completed | Phase 4 | 9 |
| NCT05585125 | A Preliminary Study for INFORMED 2024 | enrolling by invitation | Phase 4 | 20 |
| NCT05019027 | N-of-1 for Beta-Blockers in Cardiac Amyloidosis 2024 | enrolling by invitation | Phase 4 | 20 |
Published literature
- Cochrane review How do we define high and low dose intensity of heart failure medications: a scoping reviewKwak MJ, Wang Q, Onyebeke C et al. · BMC cardiovascular disorders · 2023 · PMID 37759279
- Clinical trial publication Cardiovascular drugs in human mechanical nociception: digoxin, amlodipine, propranolol, pindolol and atenololDel Giaccio A, Eblen-Zajjur A · Investigacion clinica · 2010 · PMID 20815158
- Clinical trial publication Cardiovascular events in elderly patients with isolated systolic hypertension. A subgroup analysis of treatment strategies in STOP-Hypertension-2Ekbom T, Linjer E, Hedner T et al. · Blood pressure · 2004 · PMID 15223721
- Clinical trial publication Effects of thyroxine on cardiac function and lymphocyte beta-adrenoceptors in patients with chronic congestive heart failureLu X, Huang J, Zhang X et al. · Chinese medical journal · 2003 · PMID 14642140
- Clinical trial publication Adverse reactions to pindolol administrationGonasun LM, Langrall H · American heart journal · 1982 · PMID 7048882
- Clinical trial publication The influence of beta-adrenoceptor blockade on left ventricular functionHahn B, Strauer BE · British journal of clinical pharmacology · 1982 · PMID 6125181
Mechanism and notes
Recorded mechanism or class: inhibitor.
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 Pindolol approved for Heart Failure?
Pindolol 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 Pindolol in clinical trials for Heart Failure?
ClinicalTrials.gov lists 4 registered trials linking Pindolol to Heart Failure: 2 are currently recruiting; 2 have completed. The most advanced is Phase 4 (NCT05585125). It plans or enrolled 20 participants. Registration activity spans 2021 to 2024.
What does the evidence show for Pindolol in Heart Failure?
Pindolol has both completed registered trials and synthesis-level publications linked to Heart Failure. 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 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.