Oral 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 and COVID-19

June 10, 2020 updated by: Tehran University of Medical Sciences

Preventive and Therapeutic Effects of Oral 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 on Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Adults

The goal of this clinical trial is to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of rapidly correcting vitamin D deficiency in adults with the use of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 [25(OH)D3] for reducing the risk of acquiring the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) viral infection and mitigating morbidity and mortality associated with this infection. This evidence-based hypothesis is related to several observations. Macrophages, activated T and B lymphocytes have a vitamin D receptor and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 induces defensin protein synthesis, influences immunoglobulin production and modulates T-cell cytokine production and functions. 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 also reduces the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) that is believed to serve as the binding site and gateway for COVID-19 to become infectious. This is a multicenter randomized3 doubleblinded placebo-controlled study aimed at determining the benefits of 25(OH)D3 treatment for the prevention of COVID-19 infection and improving clinical outcomes in infected patients. The investigators plan to recruit 1500 subjects in 3 study groups that include hospital health providers, patients with a positive test for COVID-19 and their relatives with a negative test. Eligible subjects in each study group with a documented serum level of 25(OH)D < 20 ng/mL will be randomized. Recruited subjects will be given 25 mcg of 25(OH)D3 daily or an identically appearing placebo at the time of randomization for two months. Three hospitals will participate and the sample size is foreseen to be equally distributed between the three. Since the clinical trial is designed as minimal risk a formal committee for data monitoring is not foreseen. However, potential toxicity will be monitored every 4 weeks with a serum calcium, albumin and creatinine by the PI and the study coordinators. If the corrected serum calcium increases above 10.6 mg/dl and a repeat confirms that the calcium is above 10.6 mg/dL the subject will be dropped from the study and referred to his or her PCP. Early signs and symptoms of vitamin D toxicity associated with hypercalcemia are increased thirst, increase in frequency of urination, especially at night. The subjects will be followed up weekly by phone to ask about their sign and symptoms.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Unknown

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Improvement in the vitamin D status i.e. total serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D in children and adults has been associated with reduced risk of upper respiratory tract infections including influenza A infection. The rationale for giving 25(OH)D3 rather than vitamin D3 is to rapidly improve the vitamin D status of the subjects who are at high risk of acquiring COVID 19 or who are infected by this very aggressive viral infection. It takes approximately 6-8 weeks to achieve a steady state blood level of 25(OH)D when ingesting a daily dose of vitamin D3 whereas ingesting 25(OH)D3 results in a rapid rise in its blood level reaching steady state within 48 hours. Based on the available literature it is reasonable to consider the possibility that vitamin D deficiency could increase risk of acquiring COVID 19 infection and exacerbating its infectivity and the body's cytokine response to it. It therefore seems plausible that the rapid improvement in vitamin D status by providing 25(OH)D3 may contribute to reducing the severity of illness caused by COVID-19, particularly in settings where hypovitaminosis D is frequent especially in people of color. Arguably, there is little evidence to date that improving the vitamin D status will reduce the infectivity risk or mitigate the devastating health consequences of COVID-19 infection. The proposed study to rapidly improve vitamin D status in adults who are at high risk of acquiring COVID- 19 or who are at risk for its morbidity and mortality will test the veracity of this evidence based hypothesis. Results from this study, especially if positive, would have far reaching global health consequences. Vitamin D3, vitamin D2 and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 are readily available worldwide and could be quickly instituted as a rapid cost-effective method to help combat this pandemic.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Anticipated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
1500

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Phase 2
  • Phase 3

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

  • Name: Arash Shirvani, MD, PhD
  • Email: hn@bu.edu

Study Locations

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 75 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Older than 18 years old and younger than 75 years old for all study groups.
  2. Meet the diagnostic criteria of COVID-19 for different types (including ordinary type, heavy type and critical type) in infected patients.
  3. No medications or disorders that would affect vitamin D metabolism
  4. Women must be on birth control and not pregnant
  5. Ability and willingness to give informed consent and comply with protocol requirements

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Ongoing treatment with pharmacologic doses of vitamin D, vitamin D metabolites or analogues
  2. Pregnant or lactating women;
  3. Severe underlying diseases, such as advanced malignant tumors, endstage lung disease, etc.
  4. History of elevated serum calcium >10.6 mg/dl; that is corrected for albumin concentration or subjects with a history of hypercalciuria and kidney stones.
  5. Chronic hepatic dysfunction, chronic kidney disease or intestinal malabsorption syndromes including inflammatory bowel disease.
  6. Supplementation with over the counter formulations of vitamin D2 or vitamin D3
  7. Use of tanning bed or artificial UV exposure within the last two weeks.
  8. Consuming medication affecting vitamin D metabolism or absorption (anticonvulsants, anti-tuberculosis medication glucocorticoids, HIV medications and cholestyramine).
  9. Subjects with a history of an adverse reaction to orally administered vitamin D, vitamin D metabolites or analogues.
  10. Subjects with a history of conditions that can lead to high serum calcium levels such as sarcoidosis, tuberculosis and some lymphomas associated with activated macrophages which increase the production of 1,25(OH)2D.
  11. Inability to give informed consent

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Quadruple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Treatment
Infected patients with acute respiratory tract infection symptoms (e.g. fever, cough, dyspnea) with no other etiology that fully explains the clinical presentation accompanied by chest computed tomography (CT) scan findings compatible with Covid-19 or with a COVID-19 positive test by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
Drug: Oral 25-Hydroxyvitamin D3
Subjects in the case group will receive 25 mcg of 25(OH)D3 once daily at bedtime for 2 months and the control group will receive placebo daily for 2 months.
Experimental: Prevention
This arm of study includes the health care providers and hospital workers with a negative test for COVID-19 and a close patient relative with a negative test for COVID-19 who lives with the infected patients.
Drug: Oral 25-Hydroxyvitamin D3
Subjects in the case group will receive 25 mcg of 25(OH)D3 once daily at bedtime for 2 months and the control group will receive placebo daily for 2 months.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
COVID-19 (SARA-Cov-2) infection
Time Frame: 60 days
Percentage of patients with acute respiratory tract infection symptoms (e.g. fever, cough, dyspnea) with no other etiology that fully explains the clinical presentation accompanied by chest computed tomography (CT) scan findings compatible with Covid-19 or patients with a COVID-19 positive test by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
60 days
Severity of COVID-19 (SARA-Cov-2) infection
Time Frame: 60 days
Percentage of mild, moderate and sever forms of COVID-19 based on WHO criteria
60 days
Hospitalization
Time Frame: 60 days
Percentage of patients who need to be hospitalized
60 days
Disease duration
Time Frame: 60 days
Days from the first symptom/positive test to discharge from hospital/negative test
60 days
Death
Time Frame: 60 days
Rate of death due to COVID-19 during the study
60 days
Oxygen support
Time Frame: 60 days
Percentage of COVID patients who need oxygen support
60 days

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Type of oxygen support
Time Frame: 60 days
Percentage of COVID patients who require each: Nasal cannula, Non-invasive ventilation or high-flow nasal cannula, Invasive mechanical ventilation, Invasive mechanical ventilation and ECMO
60 days
Symptoms of COVID-19
Time Frame: 60 days
Percentage of COVID patients who display each: fever, dry cough, coughing sputum or blood, sore throat, headache, diarrhea and shortness of breath
60 days
Serum Levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3
Time Frame: 60 days
Serum Levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (ng/ml) by HPLC
60 days
Serum levels of calcium
Time Frame: 60 days
Serum calcium concentration (mg/dl)
60 days
Serum levels of phosphorus
Time Frame: 60 days
Serum phosphorus concentration (mg/dl)
60 days
Serum levels of creatinine
Time Frame: 60 days
Serum creatinine concentration (mg/dl)
60 days
Serum levels of albumin
Time Frame: 60 days
Serum albumin concentration (g/dl)
60 days
Serum levels of the blood urea nitrogen (BUN)
Time Frame: 60 days
Serum concentration of the blood urea nitrogen (mg/dl)
60 days
Serum levels of the parathyroid hormone (PTH)
Time Frame: 60 days
Serum concentration of the parathyroid hormone (pg/ml)
60 days

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Tehran University of Medical Sciences

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Boston University

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Study Chair: Mohamadali Sahraian, MD, Tehran University of Medical Sciences
  • Principal Investigator: zhila Maghbooli, PhD, Tehran University of Medical Sciences
  • Principal Investigator: Michael F Holick, PhD,MD, Boston University
  • Principal Investigator: Arash Shirvani, MD, PhD, Boston University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
April 14, 2020

Primary Completion (Anticipated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
November 15, 2020

Study Completion (Anticipated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
March 15, 2021

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
May 11, 2020

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
May 11, 2020

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
May 13, 2020

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
June 12, 2020

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 10, 2020

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
May 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • IRCT2020-0401046909N2 (Registry Identifier: IRCT)
  • IRCT20200401046909N1 (Registry Identifier: IRCT)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

The datasets used and analyzed during the current study will be available from the Study Principal Investigators (zhilayas@gmeil.com) on reasonable request .

IPD Sharing Time Frame

Beginning 9 month and ending 36 months following article publication.

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

Investigators whose proposed use of the data has been approved by the current study principal investigators.

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP
  • ICF
  • ANALYTIC_CODE
  • CSR

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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