Skip to main content
UK clinical trials - updated daily from ClinicalTrials.gov
TrialConnect
← Back to Search
ACTIVE NOT RECRUITINGPhase3

The VITDALIZE Study: Effect of High-dose Vitamin D3 on 28-day Mortality in Adult Critically Ill Patients

Sponsor: Medical University of Graz

NCT ID: NCT03188796

View on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

At a glance

What the study gets you
Access to the study treatment being tested
Type of study
Interventional (receives a drug or procedure)
Time in hospital
In-person visits at study sites — visit count not specified by the sponsor
Drug or intervention
Cholecalciferol (drug), Placebo (drug)
How long the study runs
Study runs about 120 months (dates as stated)
About the drug or intervention
Cholecalciferol — drug: oral/enteral loading dose of 37.5 ml MCT including 540,000 IU vitamin D3 followed by 10 drops daily (4000 IU) for 90 days · Placebo — drug: oral/enteral loading dose of 37.5 ml MCT followed by 10 drops daily for 90 days
Patient visit burden
Not specified by the sponsor
Type of study
Testing a treatment
Ages
18 Years to 100 Years
Who
All
Number of participants
2,400
Started
2017-10-10
Last checked
2026-10

Plain English Summary

What is this study?

  • • Testing a new treatment for critical illness
  • • Phase3 - 2,400 participants
  • • In the VITdAL-ICU trial using a large oral dose of vitamin D3 in 480 adult critically ill patients, there was no benefit regarding the primary endpoint hospital length of stay

Who can take part?

  • • Ages 18 Years to 100 Years
  • • Diagnosed with critical illness

Where?

  • • Birmingham - University of Birmingham

This is a simplified summary. Always discuss with your doctor before making any decisions.

About This Trial

In the VITdAL-ICU trial using a large oral dose of vitamin D3 in 480 adult critically ill patients, there was no benefit regarding the primary endpoint hospital length of stay. However, the predefined subgroup with severe vitamin D deficiency (25(OH)D ≤ 12ng/ml) had significantly lower 28-day mortality (36.3% placebo vs. 20.4% vitamin D group, hazard ratio (HR) 0.52 (0.30-0.89), number needed to treat = 6). Therefore, high-dose vitamin D3 in a population of severely vitamin D deficient critically ill patients is a promising and inexpensive intervention that requires confirmatory multicenter studies. To date, only 7 interventions (e.g. noninvasive ventilation or prone positioning) have ever demonstrated mortality benefit for Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients in multicenter trials. In case of benefit, vitamin D treatment in critically ill patients could be immediately implemented worldwide.

More detail

A very limited number of intervention trials, most including less than 30 patients, have been published. The only phase III study, our VITdAL-ICU study recruited from 2010 to 2012 and (n=475) did not find a difference in the primary endpoint "length of hospital stay" between placebo and high-dose vitamin D3. However, there was a non-significant absolute risk reduction in all-cause hospital mortality in the total population. The difference was larger (17.5%) and significant in the predefined subgroup of patients with severe vitamin D deficiency at baseline, see Kaplan Meier curve below (n=200, 28.6 vs 46.1%, p=0.01, 0.56 (0.35-0.90) ), corresponding to a number needed to treat of 6. (51) As this was only a secondary endpoint in the predefined subgroup with severe vitamin D deficiency, this finding is hypothesis generating and requires further study, leading to this application. In our study, we were unable to identify a mechanism by which this benefit was achieved. Interestingly, looking at the causes of death, the vitamin D group seemed to benefit in every category. The VITDALIZE study is a pragmatic, multicenter, placebo-controlled double-blind randomized controlled phase III trial in adult critically ill patients which will be conducted in academic and non-academic centers. The sponsor is the Medical University of Graz, Austria. Subjects will be randomised in a 1:1 ratio to receive either of the two treatments: Vitamin D: oral/enteral pharmacological dose of cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) * total dose 900,000 * loading dose of 540,0000 (dissolved in 37.5 ml of medium chain triglycerides - MCT) followed by 4000 IU daily (10 drops) for the entire active study period (90 days) Placebo: identical regime - loading dose of 37.5 ml MCT followed by 10 drops daily This study uses a group sequential design, with one interim analysis when 50% of the planned enrolled patients in each arm (N=600 per arm) have completed their day 28 assessment by the independent data safety monitoring board. The enrollment of patients will continue while the interim analyses is performed.

Critical IllnessVitamin D DeficiencyCovid19

How this trial compares with your answers

Answer 2 more questions to improve match

What we know so far

Condition· Matched your search
Age· Tell us your age for better matching
Gender· Tell us your sex for better matching

Still need:

  • • Tell us your age for better matching
  • • Tell us your sex for better matching

Preliminary match based on your answers. Full eligibility requires on-site assessment including medical history, physical exam, and lab tests. This does not guarantee enrolment.

Eligibility at a Glance

Key info

  • Age: 18 Years - 100 Years
  • Who can join: All genders

What the study is looking for

  • ✓≥18 years
  • ✓Anticipated ICU stay ≥ 48 hours
  • ✓Admission to ICU ≤ 72 hours before screening
  • ✓Severe vitamin D deficiency (≤12 ng/ml or undetectable)

Who cannot take part

  • ✗Severe gastrointestinal dysfunction (\> 400 ml residual volume)/unable to take study medication
  • ✗Do not resuscitate (DNR) order/imminent death
  • ✗hypercalcemia
  • ✗known recent nephrolithiasis, active tuberculosis or sarcoidosis
  • ✗pregnancy/lactation
See the full criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * ≥18 years * Anticipated ICU stay ≥ 48 hours * Admission to ICU ≤ 72 hours before screening * Severe vitamin D deficiency (≤12 ng/ml or undetectable) Exclusion Criteria: * Severe gastrointestinal dysfunction (\> 400 ml residual volume)/unable to take study medication * Do not resuscitate (DNR) order/imminent death * hypercalcemia * known recent nephrolithiasis, active tuberculosis or sarcoidosis * pregnancy/lactation * not deemed appropriate by study team/physician

Where Is This Study? (1 UK site)

University of Birmingham

Birmingham, United Kingdom

Hospital R&D contact (matched)

Sarah Pountain Head of Research Governance

R&D@uhb.nhs.uk0121 371 4185
Data sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov · Last verified: 2026-10