Vitamin D and Homotaurine Show Potential Benefit for Macular Degeneration

While mountains of data have examined its impact in other specialties and conditions, a new placebo-controlled trial from a team of Italian investigators is diving into the impact of vitamin D on progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Originally scheduled to be presented at the 2020 Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) annual meeting, the 12-month study dives into the antioxidant of vitamin D and homotaurine supplementation versus placebo in a cohort of 53 patients with early to intermediate AMD.

For inclusion in the study, patients needed to meet the AREDS criteria for early-intermediate AMD. Exclusion criteria included myopia greater 3 diopters, presence of other macular disorders, and cataract or other eye surgery 3 months prior to enrollment.

The 53 patients included in the study were randomized in a 2:1 ratio to receive placebo therapy or a daily nutritional supplement a nutritional supplement containing a mixture of vitamin D 50 μg (1000%) and homotaurine 50 mg plus complete AREDS 2 formula. The primary outcome of the study was AMD progression measured through changes in drusen size using OCT.

Of the 53 patients included in the study, 50 completed the 12-month study and were included in the analysis. Investigators observed AMD progression in 2.5% of patients receiving the nutritional supplement compared to 19.4% of patients in the placebo arm (P=.05, Fisher’s exact test).

Results indicated no difference in BCVA between the placebo and treatment arm, but investigators noted a 6.5 μm reduction in drusen size from baseline among the treatment arm that was not present among the placebo group (P=.05).

For more on the impact of vitamin D and homotaurine in AMD, HCPLive® reached out to the study’s lead investigator Flavia Chiosi, MD, of Azienda Ospedaliera dei Colli, Ospedale Monaldi, Napoli, and that conversation is the subject of the most recent ARVO 2020 House Call.

This study, “The anti-oxidant effect of vitamin D and homotaurine on progression of early-intermediate age related macular degeneration,” was scheduled to be presented as part of ARVO 2020.