Summary
Atenolol has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Obesity would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Obesity. ClinicalTrials.gov lists 2 registered trials linking Atenolol to Obesity: 1 has completed; 1 is terminated, withdrawn, suspended or of unknown status. The most advanced is Phase 4 (NCT00185094). The largest enrolment is 400 participants (NCT03105661). Registration activity spans 2004 to 2017. The literature layer holds 7 publications for this pair: 2 meta-analyses and 5 clinical trial publications. Publication years run from 2009 to 2026. 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 Obesity ranks 368 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: Sustained weight loss of >5% without intervention: ~5-10% at 2 years; weight regain almost universal after behavioural intervention alone (95% return to within 5% of starting weight at 5 years on lifestyle alone).
Evidence table
| Evidence tier | A · Strong |
|---|---|
| Evidence score | 44.0 (trials 6.0, literature 18.0, tier 15, approved bonus 5.0) |
| Registered trials | 2 total: 0 recruiting, 0 active / not yet recruiting, 1 completed, 1 other |
| Linked publications | 7 (5 clinical trial publications, 2 meta-analyses) |
| Agent type | Drug (Small molecule) |
| Development stage (any indication) | Approved |
| Mechanism / class | Not recorded |
| Data sources | DGIdb |
| Linked via biomarker / target | FTO |
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trial scores by status (recruiting / active / enrolling 3, completed 2.5, not yet recruiting 2, unknown 1, terminated / withdrawn / suspended 0.5) plus a phase bonus (phase 3-4 +2, phase 2 +1, phase 1 +0.5).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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCT00185094 | A Comparison of the Effect of Olmesartan Medoxomil, Losartan Potassium, and Atenolol on the Ability of Overweight Patients With High Blood Pressure to Respond to Insulin 2004 | completed | Phase 4 | 60 |
| NCT03105661 | Use of Impedance Cardiography to Decrease the Risk of Pre-eclampsia in Obese Patients 2017 | status unknown | Early Phase 1 | 400 |
Published literature
- Meta-analysis Effects of Bariatric Surgery on the Pharmacokinetics of Cardiovascular Drugs: A Systematic Review and Meta-AnalysisZarinfar Y, Babaei S, Majidzadeh MJ et al. · Obesity surgery · 2026 · PMID 41430024
- Clinical trial publication Risk of hospitalized and non-hospitalized gastrointestinal bleeding in ALLHAT trial participants receiving diuretic, ACE-inhibitor, or calcium-channel blockerDu XL, Simpson LM, Tandy BC et al. · PloS one · 2021 · PMID 34793552
- Meta-analysis Effects of Blood Pressure Lowering Agents on Cardiovascular Outcomes in Weight Excess Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysisFrancischetti EA, de Abreu VG, da Silva Figueiredo LF et al. · American journal of cardiovascular drugs : drugs, devices, and other interventions · 2020 · PMID 31898196
- Clinical trial publication Racial differences in incident atrial fibrillation among hypertensive patients during antihypertensive therapyOkin PM, Bang CN, Wachtell K et al. · American journal of hypertension · 2014 · PMID 24552888
- Clinical trial publication The beta-1 adrenergic antagonist, atenolol, decreases acylation stimulating protein, exercise capacity and plasma free fatty acids in men with type 2 diabetesSmith J, Ferland A, Méthot J et al. · Nutrition, metabolism, and cardiovascular diseases : NMCD · 2012 · PMID 21247745
- Clinical trial publication Impact of abdominal obesity on incidence of adverse metabolic effects associated with antihypertensive medicationsCooper-DeHoff RM, Wen S, Beitelshees AL et al. · Hypertension (Dallas, Tex. : 1979) · 2010 · PMID 19917874
- Clinical trial publication Effect of metformin on weight gain during antihypertensive treatment with a beta-blocker in Chinese patientsZhang JL, Zheng X, Zou DJ et al. · American journal of hypertension · 2009 · PMID 19574961
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 FTO. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.
Frequently asked questions
Is Atenolol approved for Obesity?
Atenolol has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Obesity would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Obesity. Approval status for the specific indication should always be confirmed with the relevant regulator and prescribing information.
Is Atenolol in clinical trials for Obesity?
ClinicalTrials.gov lists 2 registered trials linking Atenolol to Obesity: 1 has completed; 1 is terminated, withdrawn, suspended or of unknown status. The most advanced is Phase 4 (NCT00185094). The largest enrolment is 400 participants (NCT03105661). Registration activity spans 2004 to 2017.
What does the evidence show for Atenolol in Obesity?
Atenolol has both completed registered trials and synthesis-level publications linked to Obesity. 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 FTO. 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.