Summary
Nabilone 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 ClinicalTrials.gov lists 1 registered trial linking Nabilone to Obesity: 1 is terminated, withdrawn, suspended or of unknown status. The most advanced is Phase 2 (NCT04801641). It plans or enrolled 18 participants. Registered activity dates to 2021. The literature layer holds 1 publication for this pair: 1 clinical trial publication. The dated items are from 2025. 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 | 23.5 (trials 1.5, literature 2.0, tier 15, approved bonus 5.0) |
| Registered trials | 1 total: 0 recruiting, 0 active / not yet recruiting, 0 completed, 1 other |
| Linked publications | 1 (1 clinical trial publication) |
| Agent type | Drug (Small molecule) |
| Development stage (any indication) | Approved |
| Mechanism / class | agonist; agonist |
| Data sources | DGIdb |
| Linked via biomarker / target | CNR1 |
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trial scores by status (recruiting / active / enrolling 3, completed 2.5, not yet recruiting 2, unknown 1, terminated / withdrawn / suspended 0.5) plus a phase bonus (phase 3-4 +2, phase 2 +1, phase 1 +0.5).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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCT04801641 | A Pilot Trial of Nabilone for the Treatment of Obesity 2021 | terminated | Phase 2 | 18 |
Published literature
- Clinical trial publication Feasibility and Tolerability of Nabilone for the Treatment of Obesity: A Randomized Controlled Pilot TrialMatheson J, Tertigas D, Malik S et al. · Cannabis and cannabinoid research · 2025 · PMID 40353878
Mechanism and notes
Recorded mechanism or class: agonist; 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 CNR1. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.
Frequently asked questions
Is Nabilone approved for Obesity?
Nabilone 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 Nabilone in clinical trials for Obesity?
ClinicalTrials.gov lists 1 registered trial linking Nabilone to Obesity: 1 is terminated, withdrawn, suspended or of unknown status. The most advanced is Phase 2 (NCT04801641). It plans or enrolled 18 participants. Registered activity dates to 2021.
What does the evidence show for Nabilone in Obesity?
Trials of Nabilone in Obesity are registered but none has completed, so there is no outcome evidence from those studies yet; the record is a signal of research interest. 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 CNR1. 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.