Summary
Azathioprine 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. No registered clinical trial in this database tests Azathioprine specifically in Obesity. 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 5 publications for this pair: 5 clinical trial publications. Publication years run from 1992 to 2015. These are primary trial reports rather than syntheses, so results have not yet been pooled or graded independently.
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 | 30.0 (trials 0.0, literature 10.0, tier 15, approved bonus 5.0) |
| Registered trials | 0 total: 0 recruiting, 0 active / not yet recruiting, 0 completed, 0 other |
| Linked publications | 5 (5 clinical trial publications) |
| 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trial scores by status (recruiting / active / enrolling 3, completed 2.5, not yet recruiting 2, unknown 1, terminated / withdrawn / suspended 0.5) plus a phase bonus (phase 3-4 +2, phase 2 +1, phase 1 +0.5).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
No registered trial links Azathioprine to Obesity in the current OSMF trial extract.
Published literature
- Clinical trial publication Whey and soy protein supplements changes body composition in patients with Crohn's disease undergoing azathioprine and anti-TNF-alpha therapyMachado JF, Oya V, Coy CS et al. · Nutricion hospitalaria · 2015 · PMID 25795947
- Clinical trial publication Pulse versus oral methylprednisolone therapy in pemphigus vulgarisShahidi-Dadras M, Karami A, Toosy P et al. · Archives of Iranian medicine · 2007 · PMID 17198445
- Clinical trial publication Response of crescentic Henoch-Schoenlein purpura nephritis to corticosteroid and azathioprine therapyBergstein J, Leiser J, Andreoli SP · Clinical nephrology · 1998 · PMID 9491279
- Clinical trial publication Weaning of immunosuppression in long-term liver transplant recipientsRamos HC, Reyes J, Abu-Elmagd K et al. · Transplantation · 1995 · PMID 7839442
- Clinical trial publication Initial steroid-free versus steroid-based maintenance therapy and steroid withdrawal after heart transplantation: two views of the steroid questionKeogh A, Macdonald P, Harvison A et al. · The Journal of heart and lung transplantation : the official publication of the International Society for Heart Transplantation · 1992 · PMID 1571340
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 Azathioprine approved for Obesity?
Azathioprine 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 Azathioprine in clinical trials for Obesity?
No registered clinical trial in this database tests Azathioprine specifically in Obesity. 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 Azathioprine in Obesity?
The record for Azathioprine in Obesity rests on 5 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 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.