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Ursodeoxycholic acid

  • Prescription medicine
  • Prescription only
  • Identity checked
  • Sources last checked 2026-09-04

This page shows what was measured, who it was measured in, and what that does not settle.

What Ursodeoxycholic acid does in the body

Gallstone formation in obese patients experiencing rapid weight loss

From the FDA-approved label: Ursodiol, a naturally occurring hydrophilic bile acid, derived from cholesterol, is present as a minor fraction of the total human bile acid pool. Oral administration of ursodiol increases this fraction in a dose related manner, to become the major biliary acid, replacing/displacing toxic concentrations of endogenous hydrophobic bile acids that tend to accumulate in cholestatic liver disease.

What happened in people

RNAWiki has not yet published a reviewed conclusion for this use.

A fixed RNAWiki sentence

Where this came from

Wording RNAWiki always uses, not a finding about this substance.

No reviewed claim names a result for any goal on this record.

No source is stored against this line.

The limit that matters most

Not recorded.

Where it acts
Not recorded.
Kind of result
No result is published, so no kind of result applies yet
Supervision
RNAWiki has not recorded a supervision or regulatory status for this substance.

What the registries record it as

  • The substance registry classes this as chemical.

    FDA substance registry · 724L30Y2QR · read 2026-08-29

Where each sentence above came from

No recorded sentence describes the change this makes in a way that stands on its own. The page opens with what it is taken for instead, and the recorded explanation follows below.

Shown as the opening line on this page.

No statement of the main limit is recorded.

The four opening statements run to 84 words.

Words this page uses

Four words worth knowing first

Chosen from what this page shows, with each one explained before the word it depends on.

Stand-in result

A stand-in result is a number measured because the real result takes too long.

A picture of it, and where the picture fails

It is like judging a journey by the speedometer rather than by arriving.

Where that stops being true. Speed does predict arrival. Many stand-in results do not predict the real one.

What people get wrong. A stand-in result is often reported as the result itself.

A surrogate endpoint substituted for a clinical endpoint, valid only where the substitution has been shown to hold.

Formulation

A formulation is the exact made-up form a substance comes in.

A picture of it, and where the picture fails

It is like the difference between a whole bean and instant coffee.

Where that stops being true. Coffee tastes different. A formulation can change how much reaches the blood.

What people get wrong. Two products with the same name are assumed to behave the same. They often do not.

The specific composition and physical form of a product, including salt, excipients and release profile.

Receptor

A receptor is a part of a cell that a signal fits into.

A picture of it, and where the picture fails

A receptor is like a lock waiting for one key.

Where that stops being true. A lock either opens or does not. A receptor can be half-triggered, or worn out.

What people get wrong. Fitting a receptor is read as causing a benefit. It causes a step, and nothing more.

A protein that binds a specific ligand and converts that binding into a cellular response.

Pathway

A pathway is a chain of steps inside a cell, each one setting off the next.

A picture of it, and where the picture fails

A pathway is like a row of dominoes.

Where that stops being true. Dominoes fall one way. Pathways loop back and can switch themselves off.

What people get wrong. Changing one step is read as changing the outcome. Other steps often absorb it.

An ordered series of molecular interactions producing a defined cellular change.

What happened in peopleRead from sources, not yet reviewed

What was measured, goal by goal

One row for each goal a registered study measured something for. One column for each kind of thing that could be measured.

Registered studies list 40 outcome measures that RNAWiki could read. A registered study says what someone planned to measure. It does not say what they found. 0 of the matched studies tested this substance, and 0 posted a result.

There is no single score. A strong test result and a weak life result are different facts.

Goals down the side, kinds of measurement across the top. Each cell says what kind of thing was registered, not what was found.
GoalLife outcomeWhat a body can doHow a person feelsA test resultA step in the bodyHarmsHow longWho was studied
Blood sugarNothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a life outcome for this goal.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a performance measure for this goal.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a symptom measure for this goal.Only a number moved2 registered test measure.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a body-step measure for this goal.Not recordedHarms were not a registered measure for this goal.Not recordedNo finished study window is recorded.Waiting for a reviewerWho was studied is listed further down the page.
EnergyNothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a life outcome for this goal.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a performance measure for this goal.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a symptom measure for this goal.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a test result for this goal.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a body-step measure for this goal.Not recordedHarms were not a registered measure for this goal.Not recordedNo finished study window is recorded.Waiting for a reviewerWho was studied is listed further down the page.
Healthy ageingWaiting for a reviewer1 registered study measure of this kind. No reviewed result yet.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a performance measure for this goal.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a symptom measure for this goal.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a test result for this goal.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a body-step measure for this goal.Not recordedHarms were not a registered measure for this goal.Not recordedNo finished study window is recorded.Waiting for a reviewerWho was studied is listed further down the page.
Which registered measures put each goal on this table
Blood sugar
area above basal for glucose; glucose level
Energy
energy expenditure
Healthy ageing
mortality

Sorted by fixed word lists, version v1. A name the rules do not recognise stays unsorted rather than moving to the nearest column.

What each mark on this table means
Nothing in the sources checked
No registered study lists a life outcome for this goal.
Only a number moved
2 registered test measure.
Not recorded
Harms were not a registered measure for this goal.
Waiting for a reviewer
Who was studied is listed further down the page.

What happened in peopleRead from sources, not yet reviewed

What happened in people

Each card is one study: the exact question it asked, who was in it, and whether it showed what it set out to show.

Changes of HbA1c

The study did not show it

Who was studied
NCT05500937
How many people
1000
Study design
Phase 2/Phase 3
Compared against
Not recorded for this study
Kind of result
A number that stands in for health
What was found
Result not recorded on this page
Repeated elsewhere
Unreplicated

What this does not prove. A study that did not show an effect does not show that no effect exists anywhere.

The limits of this study, and where it came from

Main limit. No limitation is recorded for this study.

How far it carries. This study is recorded from the curated record, not from the registry match.

Form and route. Oral

Interval reported. Not recorded in this summary

Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim.

  • openFDA Drugs@FDA · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • openFDA NDC Directory · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • openFDA SPL label · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • PubChem PUG-REST · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot

Symptom assessment

The study did not show it

Who was studied
NCT04786795
How many people
990
Study design
Phase 4
Compared against
Not recorded for this study
Kind of result
A number that stands in for health
What was found
Result not recorded on this page
Repeated elsewhere
Unreplicated

What this does not prove. A study that did not show an effect does not show that no effect exists anywhere.

The limits of this study, and where it came from

Main limit. No limitation is recorded for this study.

How far it carries. This study is recorded from the curated record, not from the registry match.

Form and route. Oral

Interval reported. Not recorded in this summary

Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim.

  • openFDA Drugs@FDA · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • openFDA NDC Directory · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • openFDA SPL label · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • PubChem PUG-REST · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot

Alanine Aminotransferase at Baseline

The study did not show it

Who was studied
NCT00200343
How many people
596
Study design
Phase 3
Compared against
Not recorded for this study
Kind of result
A number that stands in for health
What was found
Result not recorded on this page
Repeated elsewhere
Unreplicated

What this does not prove. A study that did not show an effect does not show that no effect exists anywhere.

The limits of this study, and where it came from

Main limit. No limitation is recorded for this study.

How far it carries. This study is recorded from the curated record, not from the registry match.

Form and route. Oral

Interval reported. Not recorded in this summary

Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim.

  • openFDA Drugs@FDA · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • openFDA NDC Directory · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • openFDA SPL label · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • PubChem PUG-REST · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot

Primary Endpoint: mean change in HbA1c

The study did not show it

Who was studied
NCT06353347
How many people
551
Study design
Phase 3
Compared against
Not recorded for this study
Kind of result
A number that stands in for health
What was found
Result not recorded on this page
Repeated elsewhere
Unreplicated

What this does not prove. A study that did not show an effect does not show that no effect exists anywhere.

The limits of this study, and where it came from

Main limit. No limitation is recorded for this study.

How far it carries. This study is recorded from the curated record, not from the registry match.

Form and route. Oral

Interval reported. Not recorded in this summary

Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim.

  • openFDA Drugs@FDA · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • openFDA NDC Directory · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • openFDA SPL label · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • PubChem PUG-REST · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot

MACCE

The study did not show it

Who was studied
NCT05690646
How many people
491
Study design
Phase 4
Compared against
Not recorded for this study
Kind of result
A number that stands in for health
What was found
Result not recorded on this page
Repeated elsewhere
Unreplicated

What this does not prove. A study that did not show an effect does not show that no effect exists anywhere.

The limits of this study, and where it came from

Main limit. No limitation is recorded for this study.

How far it carries. This study is recorded from the curated record, not from the registry match.

Form and route. Oral

Interval reported. Not recorded in this summary

Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim.

  • openFDA Drugs@FDA · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • openFDA NDC Directory · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • openFDA SPL label · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • PubChem PUG-REST · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot

Response to dissolution therapy

The study did not show it

Who was studied
NCT07005752
How many people
484
Study design
Phase 4
Compared against
Not recorded for this study
Kind of result
A number that stands in for health
What was found
Result not recorded on this page
Repeated elsewhere
Unreplicated

What this does not prove. A study that did not show an effect does not show that no effect exists anywhere.

The limits of this study, and where it came from

Main limit. No limitation is recorded for this study.

How far it carries. This study is recorded from the curated record, not from the registry match.

Form and route. Oral

Interval reported. Not recorded in this summary

Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim.

  • openFDA Drugs@FDA · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • openFDA NDC Directory · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • openFDA SPL label · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • PubChem PUG-REST · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
What we know
RNAWiki holds 6 written-up human studies for this substance, each with the question it asked.
How we know it
Each card names the study, the number of people and what the study set out to measure.
What this does not prove
These summaries were written by a person and have not been signed off as reviewed claims.
Why it matters
A study that failed is as informative as one that worked, and both are here.
What we still do not know
No reviewed claim exists, so no exact population, effect size or interval is published yet.

What happened in peopleRead from sources, not yet reviewed

How close this is to real life

The top step is something a person would feel or care about. The bottom is a guess from software. Filled steps are where evidence exists for this substance.

  1. Living longer, or avoiding a major event Evidence recorded. Death, a heart attack, a stroke, a hospital stay.3 registered measures of this kind. No reviewed result.
  2. What a body can do day to day No evidence recorded. Walking, dressing, breathing, recovering.No registered study measures this.
  3. Measured performance No evidence recorded. How much was lifted, how far was run, how fast.No registered study measures this.
  4. Symptoms and quality of life No evidence recorded. Pain, tiredness, mood, sleep, as the person rated it.No registered study measures this.
  5. A number that stands in for health Evidence recorded. Cholesterol, blood sugar, bone density. A stand-in, not the thing itself.5 registered measures of this kind.
  6. A step measured inside a person Evidence recorded. Something measured in human tissue or human cells.A human record sits on the stored organism ladder.
  7. Animals Evidence recorded. Mice, rats, dogs. Useful for ideas, not proof about people.Stored records in Mouse, Rat. A result in animals says what to test next. It does not say what happens in people.
  8. Cells in a dish Evidence recorded. Cells or chemistry on a bench, far from a whole body.Stored mechanism abstracts describe steps measured in cells or tissue.
  9. A guess from software No evidence recorded. Nobody measured it. RNAWiki never publishes one as a finding.RNAWiki stores no prediction for this record. Software can suggest a link. RNAWiki does not publish one as a finding.

Higher on these steps means closer to something a person would feel. It does not mean better done.

What it would be like to takeRead from sources, not yet reviewed

Felt, measured, or meaningful

Three different things that get called the same word. Registered studies measured all three, and mixing them is how a blood test becomes a health claim.

Felt

Things a person could notice without a test.

No registered study measured anything of this kind.

Measured

Things only a test, a scale or a device shows.

  • area above basal for glucose
  • atp concentration
  • glucose level
  • maximum plasma concentration
  • area under the plasma concentration versus time curve

Meaningful

Things that change how a life goes, not only a number.

  • survival
  • overall survival
  • mortality

A registered study says what someone planned to measure. It does not say what they found. A number moving is not the same as a life going better. The two are shown apart here.

Felt, but not shown to help. A person notices a change. No study showed it leads anywhere good.

Measured, but not felt. A number moves. The person notices nothing. Both can be true.

Measured, but not shown to matter. A number moves in the good direction. Nobody showed that lives went better.

Matters, but takes years. The result that counts may take longer than anyone would keep watching.

Names that fit none of the three (32)
  • treatment failure
  • safety measures
  • tolerability measures
  • pharmacokinetic measures
  • energy expenditure
  • bile acid
  • number and size of duodenal adenomas
  • length of parenteral nutrition associated cholestasis
  • toxicities as assessed by nci ctcae 3 0
  • time to failure
  • preterm delivery
  • pruritus
  • laboratory values
  • incidence of gallstones formation after bariatric surgery
  • peritoneal membrane function
  • glp 1 secretion
  • auclast
  • cmax
  • return toward a normal fecal bile acid pattern
  • pruritus grading

These are harms, study-process measures, or names the rules did not recognise. They are shown rather than dropped.

What is missing or unclearRead from sources, not yet reviewed

Were people like you studied?

RNAWiki cannot tell whether a study fits you. It can show who was in it, and where the result stops carrying.

Who was studied

People similar to this profile were included.

  • Ursodiol capsules are indicated for patients with radiolucent, noncalcified gallbladder stones < 20 mm in greatest diameter in whom elective cholecystectomy would be undertaken except for the presence of increased surgical risk due to systemic disease, advanced age, idiosyncratic reaction to general anesthesia, or for those patients who refuse surgery.

Who is missing from the studies

  • Which groups were under-represented in the studies has not been recorded for this substance. Pregnancy, breastfeeding, children, older adults, and people with liver or kidney conditions are commonly excluded from trials; nothing here says whether they were.

What the label states about particular groups

  • On pediatric, the label states: “The safety and effectiveness of ursodiol tablets, 250 mg and 500 mg in pediatric patients have not been established.”

    US prescribing information · fb79b62a-b450-4d7a-be28-5ee4d174fd58 · read 2026-08-30

  • On people who are pregnant, the label states: “Risk Summary Available published data on the use of ursodiol in pregnant women derived from randomized controlled trials, observational studies, and case series collected over several decades have not identified a drug-associated risk of major birth defects, miscarriage, or other adverse maternal or fetal outcomes.”

    US prescribing information · fb79b62a-b450-4d7a-be28-5ee4d174fd58 · read 2026-08-30

  • On people who are breastfeeding, the label states: “Risk Summary Ursodiol is naturally present in human milk.”

    US prescribing information · fb79b62a-b450-4d7a-be28-5ee4d174fd58 · read 2026-08-30

Where the result stopped carrying

  • This is a scope explorer, not a diagnosis engine.
  • It shows who was studied so you can see whether people similar to you were included.

RNAWiki cannot tell whether a study fits you. It can show who was in it.

What it would be like to takeRead from sources, not yet reviewed

Why it might seem to do nothing

A real effect and a noticed effect are different things. These are the recorded reasons the two come apart.

It was studied for a different goal

The studies measured something else entirely.

On this record: Some registered studies measured things that match no goal on this page.

It was studied in different people

The people in the studies were not much like the reader.

On this record: Which groups were under-represented in the studies has not been recorded for this substance. Pregnancy, breastfeeding, children, older adults, and people with liver or kidney conditions are commonly excluded from trials; nothing here says whether they were.

A different form was studied

The studied form is not the form on the shelf.

On this record: This record is linked to 1 related forms. Evidence does not carry across all of them.

The evidence may simply be wrong

Small early studies often do not hold up.

On this record: RNAWiki has not yet published a reviewed conclusion for this use.

Other reasons RNAWiki checked and found nothing for (9)
There was nothing to correct
Where a level is already normal, topping it up may change nothing. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
Something else had to happen too
In the studies it was paired with training, a diet or another treatment. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
The change is too small to feel
A real change can still sit below what a person notices. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
Day-to-day swing hides it
Sleep, food, stress and time of day move most numbers more than this would. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
Not enough time yet
The studies ran longer than the person has waited. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
It was not taken as studied
Missed days change the result, and studies count them. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
Something else changed at the same time
Two changes at once cannot be told apart afterwards. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
The product may not be what it says
Contents of a sold product are not always what the label states. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
No recorded reason
RNAWiki has nothing stored that would explain it. Nothing in this record points to this reason.

None of these is a reason to take more. Taking more is not a step this page ever suggests.

What it would be like to takeRead from sources, not yet reviewed

What taking it involves

The recorded facts about getting hold of it and using it. Nothing here is a suggestion about what you should do.

How it is supplied

Prescription only

Quoted from a source

Where this came from

Copied from a source RNAWiki stored, with the source named.

Read from the recorded approval status.

No source is stored against this line.

Form and route

Oral

Source-linked record

Where this came from

A person wrote this into the record with the study named beside it. No reviewer has signed it off.

The form and route recorded on this substance.

No source is stored against this line.

Who oversees it

RNAWiki has not recorded a supervision or regulatory status for this substance.

Quoted from a source

Where this came from

Copied from a source RNAWiki stored, with the source named.

No register row and no identity class settled the question.

No source is stored against this line.

What is in the pack

Sold as tablet, capsule, tablet, film coated, given by the oral route.

Source-linked record

Where this came from

A person wrote this into the record with the study named beside it. No reviewer has signed it off.

Recorded notes on how this is sold and what that means for what is in the pack.

No source is stored against this line.

Where it is registered

Regulatory records are listed in the technical disclosure at the foot of this page.

Counted from records

Where this came from

A count of rows RNAWiki holds. It describes our records, not your body.

Register entries are stored per jurisdiction and shown with their dates.

No source is stored against this line.

Why people stop

Not recorded.

Nothing recorded

Where this came from

RNAWiki holds nothing here and says so rather than guessing.

No record of why people stopped taking it is stored for this substance.

No source is stored against this line.

What it would be like to takeNothing found in the sources checked

What can go wrong

Sorted by where each line came from. A regulator's label and a report somebody sent in are not the same kind of fact.

Nothing found in the sources checked

No harm is recorded against this substance in the sources RNAWiki checked. Finding nothing is not the same as showing there is nothing.

The sources listed were searched and held nothing. That is not the same as nothing existing.

Reports sent to a regulator

  • These are reports people sent to a regulator. They do not show the medicine caused the reaction.
  • Nobody counted how many people took the medicine and reported nothing.
  • The same event can be reported more than once, and many reports are incomplete.
  • News coverage, lawsuits and new warnings change how often people report.
  • A count is not a rate and not a risk.

Ursodeoxycholic acid appears in spontaneous reports to regulators. Across the 10 most-reported reaction terms, 399 reaction mentions were counted. One report can name several reactions.

The recorded terms (10)
  • premature baby — 67 reaction mentions
  • pruritus — 64 reaction mentions
  • cholestasis — 43 reaction mentions
  • alanine aminotransferase increased — 39 reaction mentions
  • blood alkaline phosphatase increased — 34 reaction mentions
  • jaundice — 33 reaction mentions
  • aspartate aminotransferase increased — 30 reaction mentions
  • drug-induced liver injury — 30 reaction mentions
  • premature delivery — 30 reaction mentions
  • interstitial lung disease — 29 reaction mentions
  • open-targets-adr · recorded 2026-06-24 · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot

Over a long time. No completed tested study window is recorded, so long-term effects are not established by the registry record.

Groups the studies covered thinly. Which groups were under-represented in the studies has not been recorded for this substance. Pregnancy, breastfeeding, children, older adults, and people with liver or kidney conditions are commonly excluded from trials; nothing here says whether they were.

What is missing or unclearRead from sources, not yet reviewed

Does the exact form matter?

Evidence belongs to the exact thing that was tested. A different salt, a different mixture or a different preparation is a different question.

The form that was studied

Oral

Source-linked record

Where this came from

A person wrote this into the record with the study named beside it. No reviewer has signed it off.

The form used in the studies cited on this page.

No source is stored against this line.

What is sold

Not recorded.

Nothing recorded

Where this came from

RNAWiki holds nothing here and says so rather than guessing.

Nothing further is recorded about which forms are sold.

No source is stored against this line.

What is recorded as being sold

  • 71 products list this as an active ingredient in the United States drug directory. 71 of them contain it and nothing else.

    FDA National Drug Code directory · 49345-2612 · read 2026-08-29

  • They are sold as capsule, powder, powder, for suspension, tablet and tablet, film coated, taken oral.

    FDA National Drug Code directory · 49345-2612 · read 2026-08-29

  • The regulator's established pharmacologic class for it is bile acid [epc] and bile acids and salts [cs].

    FDA National Drug Code directory · 49345-2612 · read 2026-08-29

  • 41 published labels name it as an active ingredient. 41 of them describe this substance alone, which is where its own label text on this page comes from.

    US prescribing information · 55c1556b-8b47-479a-979b-fd61bdd27c7f · read 2026-08-29

  • Those labels are classed as human prescription drug.

    US prescribing information · 55c1556b-8b47-479a-979b-fd61bdd27c7f · read 2026-08-29

  • Ursodiol is oral at 3 DOSAGE FORMS AND STRENGTHS • Ursodiol Tablets, USP 250 mg: 250 mg tablet • Ursodiol Tablets, USP 500 mg: 500 mg scored tablet • Ursodiol Tablets, USP 250 mg: 250 mg tablet ( 3 ) • Ursodiol Tablets, USP 500 mg: 500 mg…, recorded as fda label in effect 2026-01-27 in the United States.

    US prescribing information · fb79b62a-b450-4d7a-be28-5ee4d174fd58 · read 2026-08-30

  • Recorded price in US: 0.41605–0.63559 USD per one unit as the pricing file counts it — a tablet, capsule, patch or single item, across 31 priced products whose strengths and pack forms differ, as of 2026-08-26, paid by retail pharmacies buying the product, as surveyed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. It is not a list price, an insurance price, or what anyone pays at a counter..

    Recorded source · 2026-08-26 · read 2026-08-28

Evidence carries across two names for one substance. It does not carry across a salt, a mirror form or a mixture.

Names and forms linked to this record

What it would be like to takeRead from sources, not yet reviewed

What you could measure

This one is decided with a clinician, so this section holds questions to ask rather than a plan to run.

RNAWiki could not confidently classify this substance, so no self-experiment plan is offered.

Questions worth asking

  • Which of the trials of Ursodeoxycholic acid studied people like me?
  • What was measured, and for how long?
  • Was the result a laboratory value or a health outcome?
  • What would we watch for, and when would we stop?

Tracking can show whether something changed for you. It cannot show what caused it.

RNAWiki records evidence. It does not say whether this substance is right for you.

What is missing or unclearRead from sources, not yet reviewed

What nobody knows yet

Open questions, each with why it is open and what would close it.

How fast does the body clear it?

The sources RNAWiki checked hold nothing for this field.

Why it matters. Without this, nothing on this page can say how long anything lasts.

What would answer it

A stored source that records it, and a reviewer to sign it off.

Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.

Missing populations

Which groups were under-represented in the studies has not been recorded.

Why it matters. Recorded by the evidence model as a gap on this record.

What would answer it

A study that measures it, and a reviewer to sign it off.

Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.

Missing long-term data

No completed tested study window is recorded.

Why it matters. Recorded by the evidence model as a gap on this record.

What would answer it

A study that measures it, and a reviewer to sign it off.

Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.

No reviewed conclusion

RNAWiki has not yet published a reviewed conclusion for this use.

Why it matters. Recorded by the evidence model as a gap on this record.

What would answer it

A study that measures it, and a reviewer to sign it off.

Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.

Missing interaction studies

No interaction was found in the registers checked. Not finding one is not the same as showing there is none.

Why it matters. Recorded by the evidence model as a gap on this record.

What would answer it

A study that measures it, and a reviewer to sign it off.

Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.

Formulation uncertainty

Several salts, forms or products of Ursodeoxycholic acid are recorded. Results from one form may not transfer to another.

Why it matters. Recorded by the evidence model as a gap on this record.

What would answer it

A study that measures it, and a reviewer to sign it off.

Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.

Mechanism not reviewed

No reviewed mechanism story exists for this substance.

Why it matters. Recorded by the evidence model as a gap on this record.

What would answer it

A study that measures it, and a reviewer to sign it off.

Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.

What happened in peopleRead from sources, not yet reviewed

Check any of this yourself

Every line above traced back to the study it came from. This is the technical layer, and the vocabulary changes here.

Where else this substance is registered

FDA substance identifier (UNII)
724L30Y2QR
RxNorm concept
858733

Checks this page had to pass

  • Passed

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How this medicine reached us

Kept near the foot of the page. A historical event moves up only when it changes something about this substance today.

What the approval register records

  • 24 approved applications cover products containing this substance. The earliest was NDA019594, approved 19871231 to TEVA BRANDED PHARM.

    Drugs@FDA application register · NDA019594 · read 2026-08-29

  • Marketing status on the register: discontinued and prescription.

    Drugs@FDA application register · NDA019594 · read 2026-08-29

  • The earliest marketing start date recorded for a listed product is 19871231.

    FDA National Drug Code directory · 49345-2612 · read 2026-08-29

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6 questions this page could not answer

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Recorded evidence blocks (13)

What did Ursodeoxycholic acid's largest trial (2000 people) and its longest (16 years) measure?


2000 people in Ursodeoxycholic acid's largest registered study, 16 years in its longest registered window, measuring Mortality. ClinicalTrials.gov · 2026-09-01

34 phase2, 23 na, 21 phase3, 19 phase1, 17 phase4, 4 na or unstated, 1 early phase1; NCT00873275; 2025-02-26; no ageing endpoint recorded. Last human test completed 2025, NCT00873275.

Interpretation These counts include studies where Ursodeoxycholic acid was a comparison treatment, a background treatment or an exposure in an observational study, and the longest window may be a planned end date. Trial roles have not yet been classified for this record.

Show the evidence
  • phase2
    34
  • na
    23
  • phase3
    21
  • phase1
    19
  • phase4
    17
  • na or unstated
    4
2 more recorded rows
  • early phase1
    1
  • Last recorded human test NCT00873275
    2025-02-26

recorded 2026-09-01 · last checked 2026-09-04

From mouse to human: where has Ursodeoxycholic acid shown lifespan?


mouse: mechanism-only, rat: mechanism-only and human: lifespan (108): the rungs where Ursodeoxycholic acid has a recorded finding. Europe PMC and ClinicalTrials.gov · organism ladder · 2026-09-01

Interpretation Mortality — the recorded outcome words.

Yeast C. elegans Drosophila Mouse mechanism-onlyRat mechanism-onlyDog Non-human primate Human lifespan
Show the evidence
  • mouse
    mechanism-only
  • rat
    mechanism-only
  • human NCT04542473
    lifespan; Mortality; 108

recorded 2026-09-01 · last checked 2026-09-04

The NIA ITP gave Ursodeoxycholic acid at 5000 ppm from 5 months — did both sexes live longer?


5000 ppm, from 5 months: the NIA Interventions Testing Program workbook rows for Ursodeoxycholic acid. jax-mpd-itp · ITP_C2011_Lifespan.xlsx · 2026-09-04

292 mice; cohorts C2011; cohort rows are the workbook's own printed values; no median, percent change or survival statistic is derived from the per-animal data

Show the evidence
  • ITP cohort C2011
    ursodeoxycholic acid; 5000; 5 months; f, m; ITP_C2011_Lifespan.xlsx

recorded 2026-09-04 · last checked 2026-09-04

11 of Ursodeoxycholic acid's trials stopped: safety, accrual/recruitment, sponsor decision unspecified, other?


safety (1), accrual/recruitment (5), sponsor decision unspecified (2) and other (3): Ursodeoxycholic acid's stop wording, clustered. ClinicalTrials.gov · 2026-09-01

"DSMB reviewed interim analysis and terminated the study due to futility."; 11 of 108 registered studies

Show the evidence

Trial

  • NCT00059202
    terminated; "DSMB reviewed interim analysis and terminated the study due to futility."
  • NCT00062023
    terminated; "Study closed by the NCI."
  • NCT00550862
    terminated; "Study stopped by sponsor due to administrative reasons"
  • NCT01226823
    withdrawn; "Modified insurance requests by a new law released after its approval."
  • NCT02472509
    terminated; "Study not feasible - very low recruitment rate"
  • NCT03201952
    terminated; "Difficulty in participant recruitment"
5 further recorded trials
  • NCT03602976
    terminated; "Inability to adequately recruit subjects in COVID-19 pandemic"
  • NCT03678480
    withdrawn; "Corporate decision"
  • NCT03724175
    terminated; "Lack of recruitment and funding."
  • NCT05526807
    terminated; "Slow recruitment"
  • NCT07102979
    terminated; "Slow recruitment and exhaustion of available study funding."

recorded 2026-09-01 · last checked 2026-09-04

Mouse studies of Ursodeoxycholic acid used 5000 ppm — over how long?


Mouse studies of Ursodeoxycholic acid used "5000 ppm". clinicaltrials.gov+jax-mpd-itp · 2026-09-04

11 recorded entries; mouse, human; tablet, capsule; also "Ursodeoxycholic Acid 300mg tablet", "Ursodeoxycholic Acid 300mg capsule", "Ursodiol 500 MG"

Show the evidence
  • mouse ursodeoxycholic acid C2011
    5000 ppm

human

  • NCT03489889
    tablet; Ursodeoxycholic Acid 300mg tablet
  • NCT03489889
    capsule; Ursodeoxycholic Acid 300mg capsule
  • NCT03512808
    Ursodiol 500 MG
  • NCT03512808
    Urso Forte 500Mg Tablet
  • NCT03724175
    NDC 0591-3159-01 Ursodiol Capsules, USP 300 mg
  • NCT04617561
    UDCA;Ursofalk(250mg*25,Losan Pharma GmbH)
4 more recorded rows
  • human NCT04834557
    Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) 500 mg
  • human NCT05043194
    Ursodeoxycholic Acid 250 Mg Oral Capsule
  • human NCT05832697
    Ursodeoxycholic Acid 250 Mg Oral Tablet
  • human NCT05832697
    Ursodeoxycholic Acid 100 Mg Oral Tablet

recorded 2026-09-04 · last checked 2026-09-04

Could one person measure Ursodeoxycholic acid's effect on treatment failure?


Treatment failure: measured in Ursodeoxycholic acid's trials.

Interpretation treatment failure is the recorded endpoint.

Show the evidence

biomarkers

  • treatment failure; 2026-09-01
  • safety measures; 2026-09-01
  • tolerability measures; 2026-09-01
  • pharmacokinetic measures; 2026-09-01
  • energy expenditure; 2026-09-01
  • bile acid; 2026-09-01
14 more recorded rows
  • biomarkers
    number and size of duodenal adenomas; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    length of parenteral nutrition associated cholestasis; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    toxicities as assessed by nci ctcae 3 0; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    survival; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    time to failure; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    preterm delivery; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    overall survival; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    pruritus; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    laboratory values; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    area above basal for glucose; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    incidence of gallstones formation after bariatric surgery; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    peritoneal membrane function; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    glp 1 secretion; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    auclast; 2026-09-01
  • human trials at or under30
    33
  • Not recorded for this substance
    a recorded half-life
  • smallest human trial
    0; NCT01226823; PHASE3; the smallest recorded human enrolment at or below 30; the registry states no direction of its result; WITHDRAWN

Which of area above basal for glucose, area under the plasma concentration versus time curve and atp concentration did Ursodeoxycholic acid's trials measure?


area above basal for glucose, area under the plasma concentration versus time curve and atp concentration lead 40 outcome terms across Ursodeoxycholic acid's trials. ClinicalTrials.gov · 2026-09-01

pharmacokinetic measures, energy expenditure, bile acid, number and size of duodenal adenomas, length of parenteral nutrition associated cholestasis and toxicities as assessed by nci ctcae 3 0 follow.

Show the evidence
  • treatment failure
    1
  • safety measures
    1
  • tolerability measures
    1
  • pharmacokinetic measures
    1
  • energy expenditure
    1
  • bile acid
    1
14 more recorded rows
  • number and size of duodenal adenomas
    1
  • length of parenteral nutrition associated cholestasis
    1
  • toxicities as assessed by nci ctcae 3 0
    1
  • survival
    1
  • time to failure
    1
  • preterm delivery
    1
  • overall survival
    1
  • pruritus
    1
  • laboratory values
    1
  • area above basal for glucose
    1
  • incidence of gallstones formation after bariatric surgery
    1
  • peritoneal membrane function
    1
  • glp 1 secretion
    1
  • auclast
    1

recorded 2026-09-01 · last checked 2026-09-04

Which of Ursodeoxycholic acid's 16 ongoing trials reports first?


16 registered trials of Ursodeoxycholic acid are open; earliest completion 2025-05. ClinicalTrials.gov · 2026-09-01

Glycaemic control; Recurrence rate of primary biliary cholangitis; latest 2029-12

Show the evidence

Trial

  • NCT04407650
    "Ursodeoxycholic Acid vs Metformin in Gestational Diabetes Mellitus"; n 64; "Glycaemic control"; 2025-05-31
  • NCT04650243
    "Clinical Research of Tapering UDCA in PBC Patients With a Complete Response"; n 90; "Recurrence rate of primary biliary cholangitis"; 2025-05
  • NCT04924868
    "Ursodeoxycolic Acid for the Prevention of Relapsing Complications After Gallstone Acute Pancreatitis"; n 332; "Complication due to gallstones"; 2027-07-01
  • NCT06517862
    "Efficacy & Safety of Oral Adjuvants to Phototherapy in Neonatal Hyperbilirubinemia"; n 80; "serum bilirubin level."; 2026-06-30
  • NCT06610760
    "Efficacy and Safety of Ursodeoxycholic Acid in Reversing Gastric Intestinal Metaplasia"; n 196; "The regression rate of gastric intestinal metaplasia based on OLGIM stage in different groups."; 2026-10-31
  • NCT06629909
    "Safety and Feasibility of Human Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Derived Secretome in the Treatment of Liver Cirrhosis: a Comprehensive Evaluation of Fibrosis Reduction, Immunomodulation, and Hepatic Regeneration: a Single Center, Randomized, Phase I Clinical Trial"; n 54; "Changes in Fibroscan and M2BPGi six month after secretome injections"; 2026-10-31
10 further recorded trials
  • NCT06684106
    "Ursodeoxycholic Acid Attenuates Statin-Induced Impaired Glucose Tolerance"; n 128; "HbA1c"; 2027-06-01
  • NCT06842472
    "PD-L1 Inhibitor + RT ± Ursodeoxycholic Acid in Recurrent/Metastatic HER2-Neg Breast Cancer"; n 70; "Objective Response Rate (ORR) of lesions outside the radiotherapy field, assessed by RECIST 1.1 criteria."; 2029-12
  • NCT06884748
    "Prevention of Recurrence of Clostridioides Difficile Colitis With Ursodeoxycholic Acid (UCDA) as a Supplement to Standard Therapy"; n 30; "Lack of recurrent C. difficile recurrence"; 2028-05-01
  • NCT06918080
    "Hepatoprotective Measures for Children at High Risk of NAFLD"; n 200; "Study of the prevalence of liver steatosis, steatohepatitis and fibrosis among the study population by using LIVERFASt."; 2025-07
  • NCT06922669
    "Glucocorticoids for Acute Drug Induced Liver Injury With Hyperbilirubinemia"; n 232; "Improvement of DILI on the second week"; 2027-09-30
  • NCT07110987
    "The Efficacy of Ursodeoxycholic Acid (UDCA) as Adjuvant Therapy to Phototherapy in the Management of Neonatal Indirect Hyperbilirubinemia"; n 70; "Reduction of total serum bilirubin to below phototherapy threshold"; 2027-03-01
  • NCT07273734
    "UDCA to Prevent Post-TIPS Hepatic Encephalopathy"; n 270; "Incidence of Overt Hepatic Encephalopathy (OHE) within 3 Months After TIPS"; 2027-12-31
  • NCT07525401
    "Comparative Evaluation of Oral Ursodeoxycholic Acid in Reducing Bilirubin Levels Among Patients With Acute Viral Hepatitis"; n 88; "Change in serum total bilirubin levels"; 2026-10
  • NCT07664020
    "Effect of Ursodeoxycholic Acid Supplementation on Liver Regeneration in Adult Living Donor Liver Transplant (LDLT) Recipients."; n 130; "Regenerated liver volume"; 2027-11-01
  • NCT07717242
    "Sun Yat-Sen Treatment Strategy for Enhancing Response in Muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer"; n 80; "Clinical Complete Response Rate"; 2029-01-31

recorded 2026-09-01 · last checked 2026-09-04

Which 33 trials of Ursodeoxycholic acid posted no result?


Posted no result
33 of 33 completed trials
Registrations
NCT01576458, NCT00004441, NCT00161083, NCT01073202, NCT01548079 and NCT00808743, and 27 more
Completion dates
oldest 1998-12; newest 2024-08-01
Show the evidence

Trial

  • NCT01576458
    1998-12
  • NCT00004441
    2001-09
  • NCT00161083
    2004-11
  • NCT01073202
    2009-01
  • NCT01548079
    2010-05
  • NCT00808743
    2013-01
14 further recorded trials
  • NCT01857284
    2013-01
  • NCT00846963
    2013-03
  • NCT01829698
    2014-02
  • NCT02016365
    2014-12
  • NCT02385032
    2015-05
  • NCT02021110
    2015-10
  • NCT01899703
    2015-10-07
  • NCT02622685
    2016-02
  • NCT01974336
    2016-09
  • NCT01088607
    2017-06
  • NCT03512808
    2017-07-31
  • NCT02841306
    2017-09
  • NCT03512821
    2017-11-30
  • NCT03489889
    2018-06

At the median, Ursodeoxycholic acid's trials enrolled 55 people — anything larger?


Median enrolment
55
Largest enrolment
2000
Registered trials counted
107

What do 399 spontaneous reports say about Ursodeoxycholic acid — and not say?


These are reports people sent to a regulator. They do not show the medicine caused the reaction. Nobody counted how many people took the medicine and reported nothing. The same event can be reported more than once, and many reports are incomplete. News coverage, lawsuits and new warnings change how often people report. A count is not a rate and not a risk.

Ursodeoxycholic acid appears in spontaneous reports to regulators. Across the 10 most-reported reaction terms, 399 reaction mentions were counted: premature baby 67; pruritus 64; cholestasis 43; alanine aminotransferase increased 39. open-targets-adr · CHEMBL1551 · 2026-06-24

Show the evidence
  • premature baby
    67
  • pruritus
    64
  • cholestasis
    43
  • alanine aminotransferase increased
    39
  • blood alkaline phosphatase increased
    34
  • jaundice
    33
4 more recorded rows
  • aspartate aminotransferase increased
    30
  • drug-induced liver injury
    30
  • premature delivery
    30
  • interstitial lung disease
    29

recorded 2026-06-24 · last checked 2026-09-04

Was Ursodeoxycholic acid studied with fasting?


fasting is named in Ursodeoxycholic acid's label sentences: "This trial demonstrated no difference in fasting glycemia between women with gestational diabetes mellitus treated with ursodeoxycholic acid and those treated with placebo." openfda-label+europepmc · 2025-07-09

1 recorded statement; fasting

Show the evidence
  • fasting
    This trial demonstrated no difference in fasting glycemia between women with gestational diabetes mellitus treated with ursodeoxycholic acid and those treated with placebo.

recorded 2025-07-09 · last checked 2026-09-04

What is recorded about Ursodeoxycholic acid and NAD+?


"Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases (HSDHs) are crucial NAD(P)H-dependent enzymes that catalyze the redox reactions of steroid substrates, playing an essential role in bile acid metabolism and the biosynthesis of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA)." — where Ursodeoxycholic acid and NAD+ appear together. Europe PMC · pathway abstract search · 2026-03-26

NAD+, autophagy; PMID 40990397, 41903671, 40121741, 39378924

Show the evidence
  • NAD+ PMID 40990397
    "Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases (HSDHs) are crucial NAD(P)H-dependent enzymes that catalyze the redox reactions of steroid substrates, playing an essential role in bile acid metabolism and the biosynthesis of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA)."

autophagy

  • PMID 41903671
    "Mechanistic assays revealed that ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) upregulated BSEP and reversed resistance via an FXR-independent mechanism: UDCA directly binds cortactin (CTTN), reduces its PRMT1-dependent mono-methylation, and promotes CTTN degradation via chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA), thereby enabling YY1 nuclear translocation and transcriptional activation of BSEP."
  • PMID 40121741
    "In this study, metformin was found to mitigate methionine-choline deficient (MCD) -diet induced NAFLD through reshaping the gut microbiota to increase ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) level, thereby inhibiting farnesoid X receptor (FXR) accompanied with activated autophagy."
  • NAD+ PMID 39378924
    "NAD<sup>+</sup>-dependent 7α-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (7α-HSDH) and NADPH-dependent 7β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (7β-HSDH) are involved in the biosynthesis of chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) to ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA)."
  • autophagy PMID 41011192
    "Bile acids, including ursodeoxycholic acid and derivatives, modulate HSC activity and autophagy."
  • NAD+ PMID 38016669
    "Enzymatic synthesis of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) catalyzed by an NADH-dependent 7β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (7β-HSDH) is more economic compared with an NADPH-dependent 7β-HSDH when considering the much higher cost of NADP<sup>+</sup>/NADPH than that of NAD<sup>+</sup>/NADH."

recorded 2026-03-26 · last checked 2026-09-04

Where it is registered
Identifiers, relations and other names

The exact record

ChEMBL id
CHEMBL1551
PubChem CID
31401
CAS number
128-13-2
RxCUI
11065
InChIKey
RUDATBOHQWOJDD-UZVSRGJWSA-N

Relations

Also called
URSODIOL, Acide ursodeoxycholique, Acido ursodeoxicolico, Ursodeoxycholate, Ursonorm, udca, 3.ALPHA.,7.BETA.-DIHYDROXY-5B-CHOLAN-24-OIC ACID, CHOLAN-24-OIC ACID, 3,7-DIHYDROXY-, (3.ALPHA.,5.BETA.,7.BETA.)-, URSODEOXYCHOLIC ACID [EP IMPURITY], URSODEOXYCHOLIC ACID [EP MONOGRAPH], URSODEOXYCHOLIC ACID [JAN], URSODEOXYCHOLIC ACID [MART.]
Trade name
Actigall, Cholurso, Destolit, Urdox, Urso, Urso 250, Ursofalk, Urso forte, Ursogal, Reltone 400 Mg, Reltone 200 Mg, Ursolign
Development code
NSC-683769
Japanese name
Ursodesoxycholic acid
Salt form
USODIOL
Sources (10)

Sources

  • ClinicalTrials.gov ClinicalTrials.gov API v2 snapshot 2026-09-01T09:00:05 ·
  • clinicaltrials.gov+jax-mpd-itp clinicaltrials.gov+jax-mpd-itp ·
  • this record's own fields 2,3,5 ·
  • Europe PMC dose-response search ·
  • Europe PMC pathway abstract search ·
  • Europe PMC search ·
4 more sources

ChEMBL ATC CC BY-SA · ClinicalTrials.gov — US Government work · Europe PMC — metadata only, under the recorded legal gate · NIA ITP via the JAX Mouse Phenome Database · Open Targets 26.06 — CC0 · derived from this page's own recorded fields; no external licence · openFDA / DailyMed — US Government work

How these records are assembled · Which registers were checked

Index-quality checks
  • identity passed: no open identity hold
  • required summary fields resolved: 5 required field(s) not terminal: Why people use it, Best-supported result, Most important common problem, Biggest unanswered question, Human evidence
  • public claims reviewed: 0 reviewed claim(s); drafts are never rendered
  • source coverage passed: 10 source rows
  • no critical contamination: no quarantine open
  • canonical metadata passed: slug and display name present
  • no raw internal fields: enforced by the copy-contract test over the rendered page

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