AzTrials
AzTrials

Thyroid Eye Disease, TEDNCT07400757

Statin and Vitamin D Treatment in Patients With Thyroid Eye Disease

A study testing Atorvastatin (Lipitor) and Vitamin D in people with Thyroid Eye Disease, TED and Graves Ophthalmopathy, run by Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan at 1 site in Taiwan.

Recruiting

Looking for participants now. Contact the study team or a site below to ask about taking part.

Sites and contacts
Official record
Search all trials

Trial summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether statin therapy and vitamin D supplementation can modify disease activity in patients with active thyroid eye disease. The study will also evaluate the safety of these treatments. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 20 years and older
What is being tested?
Atorvastatin (Lipitor) and Vitamin D
Type of treatment
Pill or oral medicine
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
120 participants
Where
1 siteTaiwan
Study dates
24 Feb 2026to 15 Jul 2032
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
Not yet: the study is under way

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 20 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Adults aged 20 years or older
  • Diagnosis of active thyroid eye disease with a Clinical Activity Score (CAS) of 3 or higher
  • Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level of 100 mg/dL or higher

Who cannot join

  • Prior orbital radiotherapy or orbital surgery for thyroid eye disease
  • Use of statins or high-dose vitamin D supplementation (greater than 400 IU per day) within 3 months prior to enrollment
  • Pregnancy
  • Severe renal impairment, defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) less than 30 mL/min/1.73 m²

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.

Chin-Sung Kuo, MD, PhD contact

886-2-28757513

cskuo@vghtpe.gov.tw

Taiwan1 site, 1 recruiting
  • Taipei Veterans General Hospital

    Taipei, Taiwan, 11217

    Chin-Sung Kuo, MD, PhD, 886-2-28757513, cskuo@vghtpe.gov.tw

    Recruiting

Other trials in Taiwan

About this study

Official title: The Role of Statin and Vitamin D for the Treatment of Thyroid Eye Disease

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether statin therapy and vitamin D supplementation can modify disease activity in patients with active thyroid eye disease. The study will also evaluate the safety of these treatments. The main questions it aims to answer are:

  • Does statin therapy change disease activity, as measured by changes in the Clinical Activity Score (CAS) and proptosis?
  • Does vitamin D supplementation change disease activity in patients with active thyroid eye disease?
  • Does combined treatment with statin and vitamin D produce different effects compared with either treatment alone or standard care?
  • What adverse events occur during treatment?
Read more

Researchers will compare four groups: standard care alone, statin therapy plus standard care, vitamin D supplementation plus standard care, and combined statin and vitamin D therapy plus standard care.

Participants will:

  • Be randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups
  • Receive the assigned treatment for 24 weeks
  • Attend clinic visits for clinical assessments and blood tests at baseline and at 24 weeks
  • Be followed through medical record review for up to three years after completion of the intervention
Read the detailed description

Thyroid eye disease (TED) is an autoimmune inflammatory disorder commonly associated with Graves' disease. The disease typically follows an active inflammatory phase, characterized by orbital inflammation, pain, redness, swelling, and progression of eye protrusion, followed by an inactive fibrotic phase with more permanent structural changes. Early intervention during the active phase is critical to reduce disease severity and prevent long-term functional and cosmetic complications.

Current treatments for active TED primarily focus on immunosuppression, such as systemic corticosteroids or other immunomodulatory therapies. However, these treatments may be associated with significant side effects and variable treatment responses. Therefore, there is an unmet need for adjunctive therapies with favorable safety profiles that may modify disease activity and change outcomes in patients with active TED.

Recent observational studies have suggested that statin use is associated with a lower risk of developing thyroid eye disease and a reduced severity of disease manifestations. These potential benefits appear to be independent of cholesterol-lowering effects and may be related to the anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties of statins. In addition, vitamin D deficiency has been frequently observed in patients with TED, and vitamin D is known to play a role in immune regulation and inflammatory control. Experimental and clinical studies suggest that vitamin D supplementation may modulate autoimmune activity and modify inflammatory responses.

Despite these findings, there is limited prospective clinical trial evidence evaluating the effects of statin therapy and vitamin D supplementation in patients with active TED. This study is designed as a randomized, open-label, 2×2 factorial clinical trial to evaluate the individual and combined effects of statin therapy and vitamin D supplementation on disease activity in patients with active TED.

Eligible participants with active TED will be randomly assigned to one of four groups: standard care alone, standard care plus statin therapy, standard care plus vitamin D supplementation, or standard care plus combined statin and vitamin D therapy. The intervention period will last for 24 weeks. Statin therapy consists of oral atorvastatin 20 mg once daily, and vitamin D supplementation consists of oral vitamin D at a daily dose of 1400 IU.

The primary outcomes of the study include changes in the Clinical Activity Score (CAS), responder rate defined as a ≥2-point change in Clinical Activity Score (CAS), changes in proptosis measured by Hertel exophthalmometry, and changes in thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulin (TSI) levels from baseline to 24 weeks. Secondary outcomes include changes in thyroid function, lipid profiles, blood glucose levels, and the use of thyroid-related medications and systemic corticosteroids during the intervention period.

Safety assessments will be conducted throughout the study by monitoring clinical symptoms, laboratory parameters, and reported adverse events. After completion of the 24-week intervention, participants will return to standard care and will be followed through medical record review for up to three years to observe long-term disease activity outcomes.

This study aims to provide prospective clinical evidence regarding the potential role of statin therapy and vitamin D supplementation as adjunctive treatments for active thyroid eye disease.

Being tested
Atorvastatin (Lipitor), Vitamin D
Keywords
Thyroid Eye Disease, Graves Ophthalmopathy, Statin, Vitamin D, Atorvastatin, Autoimmune Disease, Inflammation, Randomized Controlled Trial, Factorial Design, Clinical Activity Score
Medical subject headings
Graves Ophthalmopathy, Autoimmune Diseases, Inflammation

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Atorvastatin (Lipitor)Drug

    Oral atorvastatin 20 mg administered once daily for 24 weeks.

  • Vitamin DDietary supplement

    Oral vitamin D supplementation at a dose of 1400 IU administered once daily for 24 weeks.

Study groups in NCT07400757
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Standard CareNo interventionParticipants receive standard care for active thyroid eye disease according to current clinical practice for 24 weeks.
StatinExperimentalParticipants receive standard care plus oral atorvastatin 20 mg once daily for 24 weeks.
Receives: Drug: Atorvastatin (Lipitor)
Vitamin DExperimentalParticipants receive standard care plus oral vitamin D supplementation at a dose of 1400 IU daily for 24 weeks.
Receives: Dietary Supplement: Vitamin D
Statin plus Vitamin DExperimentalParticipants receive standard care plus oral atorvastatin 20 mg once daily and oral vitamin D supplementation at a dose of 1400 IU daily for 24 weeks.
Receives: Drug: Atorvastatin (Lipitor); Dietary Supplement: Vitamin D

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Change in Clinical Activity Score (CAS)

    The Clinical Activity Score (CAS; range 0-7, with higher scores indicating greater disease activity)

    Measured: Baseline to 24 weeks

  2. Change in Thyroid Eye Disease Activity (Responder Analysis)

    Proportion of participants achieving a ≥2-point change in the Clinical Activity Score (CAS; range 0-7, with higher scores indicating greater disease activity)

    Measured: Baseline to 24 weeks

  3. Change in Proptosis

    Change in proptosis measured by Hertel exophthalmometry

    Measured: Baseline to 24 weeks

  4. Change in Thyroid-Stimulating Immunoglobulin (TSI)

    Change in serum thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulin (TSI) levels

    Measured: Baseline to 24 weeks

Secondary outcomes (4)
  1. Change in Thyroid Function

    Change in thyroid function parameters (TSH, free T4, free T3)

    Measured: Baseline to 24 weeks

  2. Change in Lipid Profile

    Change in lipid parameters, including low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C)

    Measured: Baseline to 24 weeks

  3. Change in Blood Glucose

    Change in blood glucose levels

    Measured: Baseline to 24 weeks

  4. Concomitant Medication Use

    Use of thyroid-related medications and systemic corticosteroids during the intervention period

    Measured: Baseline to 24 weeks

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted10 Feb 2026
  2. Study start24 Feb 2026
  3. Primary completion31 Dec 2029 (estimated)
  4. Study completion15 Jul 2032 (estimated)

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Factorial
Model description
This study uses a 2×2 factorial, parallel-group design to evaluate the independent and combined effects of statin therapy and vitamin D supplementation. Participants are randomly assigned to one of four groups: standard care alone, statin plus standard care, vitamin D plus standard care, or combined statin and vitamin D plus standard care.
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
120 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT07400757
Sponsor's protocol ID
2025-08-018A
Status last verified
Apr 2026
First submitted
3 Feb 2026
Last updated
30 Apr 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No: Individual participant data will not be shared due to institutional data protection policies and ethical considerations related to participant privacy.

Publications

  • Cardo C, Bernardo Santos R, Pinotti Pedro Miklos AB, Barbosa Jaconis S, Romaldini JH, Villagelin D. The relationship between cholesterol levels and thyroid eye disease. Eur Thyroid J. 2025 Feb 3;14(1):e240133. doi: 10.1530/ETJ-24-0133. Print 2025 Feb 1.

    PubMed 39819487
  • Chou YT, Lai CC, Li CY, Shen WC, Huang YT, Wu YL, Lin YH, Yang DC, Yang YC. Statin Use and the Risk of Graves' Orbitopathy: A Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study. Thyroid. 2025 Feb;35(2):199-207. doi: 10.1089/thy.2024.0536. Epub 2025 Jan 13.

    PubMed 39804287
  • Wang CM, Chen YJ, Yang BC, Yang JW, Wang W, Zeng Y, Jiang J. Supplementation with active vitamin D3 ameliorates experimental autoimmune thyroiditis in mice by modulating the differentiation and functionality of intrathyroidal T-cell subsets. Front Immunol. 2025 Jan 30;16:1528707. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1528707. eCollection 2025.

    PubMed 39949783

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Atorvastatin (Lipitor) and Vitamin D in people with Thyroid Eye Disease, TED and Graves Ophthalmopathy, run by Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan at 1 site in Taiwan.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 4 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 30 Apr 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in Taiwan. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

Contact Chin-Sung Kuo, MD, PhD (886-2-28757513, cskuo@vghtpe.gov.tw), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Change in Clinical Activity Score (CAS) (time frame: Baseline to 24 weeks). The study lists 4 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT07400757, which also lists 3 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 30 Apr 2026.

Free account

Log in to keep searching

You’ve used your 3 free searches. AzTrials is free: log in or create a free account to keep searching clinical trials and save the ones you want to follow.

Create a free accountLog in