In short
Clinical trials investigating Atenolol are studying how it is used in different heart and blood vessel conditions. These studies look at outcomes such as heart rate control, disease events, and symptom recurrence in specific patient groups. The trials include adults with conditions like spontaneous coronary artery dissection, ischemic heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cardiomyopathy, and certain rhythm disorders.
Key points
- Clinical trials investigating Atenolol are focused on heart and blood vessel conditions, including spontaneous coronary artery dissection, ischemic heart disease, type 2 diabetes with cardiovascular risk, cardiomyopathy, and rare rhythm disorders. Most of the studies are Phase 3 trials, which means they are testing treatments in larger patient groups. The target populations are very specific, such as people with resting heart rate above 65 beats per minute before cardiac CT, patients with non-ischemic cardiomyopathy after cardiac resynchronization therapy, and people with unexplained cardiac arrest or rare ventricular rhythm problems. The trials compare Atenolol with other beta-blockers or with other treatment strategies in some cases. Main outcomes include heart rate reduction, major cardiovascular events, recurrence of heart failure or left ventricular dysfunction, and ventricular ectopy burden.
Trial overview
These studies are looking at Atenolol as part of research in several heart-related conditions. The trials are not all asking the same question: some test heart rate control, some test broader cardiovascular outcomes, and some compare treatment strategies in special patient groups.
Most of the listed studies are Phase 3 trials, which usually means the treatment is being tested in larger groups to see how well it works in real patient settings. One study is described as Low Intervention and still examines whether stopping or continuing treatment changes later heart problems.
Who is being studied
The target groups are very specific and vary from study to study. One trial includes people with Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection (SCAD), which means a tear forms in a heart artery without the usual cause of blocked arteries.
Another trial includes people with ischemic heart disease who have a resting heart rate above 65 beats per minute and are having a cardiac CT scan for evaluation. A different study focuses on people with non-ischemic cardiomyopathy who had a strong response to cardiac resynchronization therapy, have negative genetic testing, and do not have significant arrhythmia.
Other studies include people with type 2 diabetes and no known cardiovascular disease, people with Andersen-Tawil syndrome or multifocal ectopic Purkinje-related premature contractions, and people with unexplained cardiac arrest or idiopathic ventricular fibrillation.
What the trials measure
The studies use different primary outcomes, which are the main results the researchers want to measure. In the SCAD study, the main outcome is a combined clinical endpoint that includes death, myocardial infarction, stroke, coronary revascularization, recurrent dissection, and hospital admission for acute coronary syndrome or heart failure at 1 year.
In the heart rate study before cardiac CT, the main outcome is the time needed for the average heart rate to drop by 10% from baseline after the study drug is given. In the non-ischemic cardiomyopathy study, the main outcome is recurrence of left ventricular dysfunction or heart failure at 6 months, measured by changes in left ventricular ejection fraction, left ventricular volume, or heart failure symptoms with raised NT-proBNP.
Other studies measure a composite cardiovascular endpoint in type 2 diabetes, ventricular ectopy burden per 24 hours in rhythm disorders, and ICD-related events or arrhythmic episodes in idiopathic ventricular fibrillation.
Trial designs and phases
All listed studies are interventional, meaning researchers assign treatment strategies and then watch what happens. Several trials compare Atenolol with other beta-blockers or other medicines rather than testing it alone.
The SCAD study includes beta-blockers and antiplatelet agents, while the CT heart rate study compares beta-blockers with ivabradine. The rhythm studies compare different antiarrhythmic strategies, including beta-blockers, flecainide, verapamil, quinidine, and nadolol, depending on the condition and trial design.
Key studies involving Atenolol
NCT04850417 is a Phase 3 study in 700 people with SCAD. It tests medical therapy with beta-blockers and antiplatelet agents and looks at a 1-year combined clinical endpoint.
2025-522741-21-00 is a Phase 3 study in 350 people with ischemic heart disease. It asks which medication and dose, including Atenolol, lowers heart rate fastest before cardiac CT in people with a resting heart rate above 65 beats per minute.
2025-521780-12-00 is a Low Intervention study in 64 people with non-ischemic cardiomyopathy. It tests whether withdrawal of neurohormonal therapy is not worse than continuing treatment for preventing return of heart dysfunction or heart failure symptoms.
2022-500143-21-01 is a large Phase 3 study in 7,300 people with type 2 diabetes and no known cardiovascular disease. It evaluates whether a CT-based treatment strategy can reduce major cardiovascular events.
NCT06205550 is a small Phase 3 study in 10 people with Andersen-Tawil syndrome or multifocal ectopic Purkinje-related premature contractions. It measures the number of extra ventricular beats over 24 hours.
2024-518057-41-00 is a Phase 3 study in 218 people with unexplained cardiac arrest or idiopathic ventricular fibrillation. It uses ICD data and arrhythmic events to study the effect of beta-blocker treatment.
Patient-friendly terms
Cardiac CT is a heart scan that uses X-rays to make detailed pictures of the heart and blood vessels. In these trials, it is used to help guide treatment or prepare for the scan itself.
ICD means implantable cardioverter-defibrillator, a device that can detect and treat dangerous heart rhythms. NT-proBNP is a blood marker that can rise when heart failure is present or getting worse.
Left ventricular ejection fraction is a measure of how well the heart’s main pumping chamber is working. Ventricular ectopy burden means how many extra beats from the lower heart chambers happen over a set time, usually 24 hours.