Summary
Ribavirin 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 Ribavirin 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 3 publications for this pair: 3 clinical trial publications. Publication years run from 2007 to 2012. 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 | 26.0 (trials 0.0, literature 6.0, tier 15, approved bonus 5.0) |
| Registered trials | 0 total: 0 recruiting, 0 active / not yet recruiting, 0 completed, 0 other |
| Linked publications | 3 (3 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trial scores by status (recruiting / active / enrolling 3, completed 2.5, not yet recruiting 2, unknown 1, terminated / withdrawn / suspended 0.5) plus a phase bonus (phase 3-4 +2, phase 2 +1, phase 1 +0.5).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 Ribavirin to Obesity in the current OSMF trial extract.
Published literature
- Clinical trial publication Impact of obesity on the bioavailability of peginterferon-α2a and ribavirin and treatment outcome for chronic hepatitis C genotype 2 or 3Alsiö Å, Rembeck K, Askarieh G et al. · PloS one · 2012 · PMID 22655053
- Clinical trial publication A randomized controlled trial of double versus triple therapy with amantadine for genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C in Latino patientsMéndez-Navarro J, Chirino RA, Corey KE et al. · Digestive diseases and sciences · 2010 · PMID 19960257
- Clinical trial publication Clinical implications of hepatic steatosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C: a multicenter study of U.S. veteransHu KQ, Currie SL, Shen H et al. · Digestive diseases and sciences · 2007 · PMID 17226072
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 Ribavirin approved for Obesity?
Ribavirin 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 Ribavirin in clinical trials for Obesity?
No registered clinical trial in this database tests Ribavirin 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 Ribavirin in Obesity?
The record for Ribavirin in Obesity rests on 3 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.