Coronavirus: Vitamin D

(asked on 9th November 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of Calcifediol in the treatment of COVID-19.


Answered by
Lord Bethell Portrait
Lord Bethell
This question was answered on 18th November 2020

A rapid review by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), published in June 2020, concluded there was no evidence to support taking vitamin D supplements, such as Calcifediol (a form of vitamin D), to reduce the risk or severity of COVID-19.

In addition, a rapid review by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN), published in June 2020, concluded that evidence currently does not support vitamin D supplementation to prevent acute respiratory tract infections in the general population of the United Kingdom.

Both NICE and SACN reviews emphasised the existing advice that vitamin D is essential for musculoskeletal health.

In September 2020, NICE published a Medicines Evidence Commentary on the clinical trial of Calcifediol in the treatment of COVID-19 by Castillo et al (2020). The Commentary concluded that “the study has many confounders so the results should be interpreted with caution. The clinical management of patients with COVID-19 should not be changed based on the results of this study.” The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has asked NICE and Public Health England to re-review the evidence on vitamin D and COVID-19, due to be published mid-December 2020.

Reticulating Splines