Pneumonia ChildhoodPhase 4NCT07414693
Effect of Vitamin C on Length of Hospital Stay in Children With Severe Pneumonia
A Phase 4 study testing Antibiotics administration and Vitamin C in people with Pneumonia Childhood and Vitamin C, run by Children's Hospital and Institute of Child Health, Multan at 1 site in Pakistan.
Trial summary
Severe pneumonia is a common and serious illness in young children and often requires hospital admission. This clinical trial aims to find out whether adding vitamin C to standard treatment can reduce the length of hospital stay in children under five years of age admitted with severe pneumonia. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 2 to 59 months
- Conditions the study is for
- Pneumonia Childhood, Vitamin C, Hospital Stay Time
- What is being tested?
- Antibiotics administration and Vitamin C
- Type of treatment
- Injection or infusion
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 90 participants
- Where
- 1 sitePakistan
- Study dates
- 28 Aug 2025to 27 Feb 2026
- Phase
- Phase 4
- 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 2 to 59 months
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Child
Who may be able to join
- presenting with severe pneumonia
- ≤ 48-hours duration
Who cannot join
- Congenital heart disease
- Children with chronic respiratory illnesses i.e. Asthma, post tuberculosis bronchiectasis and cystic fibrosis
- Immunosuppressed i.e. primary immune deficiency, malignancy, on steroid therapy
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Pakistan1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
Children Hospital and Institute of Child Health
Multan Khurd, Punjab Province, 60000
Muhammad S Principal Investigator, MBBS, +92 302 2513701, msulaman1432@gmail.com
Ayesha F Assistant Professor, FCPS, +92 333 6163845, drayeshafayyaz@yahoo.com
About this study
Official title: Efficacy of Vitamin C as an Adjunct to Standard Treatment in Severe Pneumonia in Children Under Five Years of Age: A Clinical Comparison
Severe pneumonia is a common and serious illness in young children and often requires hospital admission. This clinical trial aims to find out whether adding vitamin C to standard treatment can reduce the length of hospital stay in children under five years of age admitted with severe pneumonia.
The main question this study seeks to answer is:
Read more
Does giving vitamin C along with routine treatment help children with severe pneumonia recover faster and go home earlier compared to standard treatment alone?
In this study, 90 children aged 2 to 59 months who are admitted to the Children's Hospital Multan with severe pneumonia will take part. Severe pneumonia is defined by fast breathing, fever, cough, and one or more danger signs such as difficulty feeding, repeated vomiting, seizures, bluish discoloration of lips, or noisy breathing. Children with chronic lung disease or weakened immunity will not be included.
After parental consent, children will be randomly divided into two groups. One group will receive standard treatment only, which includes oxygen therapy and intravenous antibiotics according to hospital protocol. The second group will receive the same standard treatment plus a daily dose of vitamin C. Neither group will receive any experimental or unapproved therapy.
Researchers will closely monitor each child's recovery, including improvement in breathing rate, temperature, oxygen levels, and overall clinical condition. The child will be discharged when the treating physician determines that recovery criteria are met. The number of days spent in the hospital from the start of treatment until discharge will be recorded.
By comparing the average hospital stay between the two groups, this study aims to determine whether vitamin C is a useful and safe add-on treatment for severe pneumonia in young children. The findings may help improve care and reduce hospital stay for children with severe pneumonia in the future.
- Conditions
- Pneumonia Childhood, Vitamin C, Hospital Stay Time
- Being tested
- Antibiotics administration, Vitamin C
- Keywords
- Pneumonia, Vitamin C, Hospital Stay
- Medical subject headings
- Pneumonia
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Antibiotics administrationDrug
Antibiotics Plus supportive care including oxygen inhalation, intravenous rehydration, and antipyretics
Vitamin CDrug
Also called Ascorbic acid
Standard care (oxygen inhalation, intravenous rehydration, and antipyretics) plus Vitamin C: 200-mg (2 cc = 4 dropper, should be mixed in milk or water) once a day
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Standard care | Active comparator | Standard care alone Receives: Drug: Antibiotics administration |
| Adjunct Vitamin C | Experimental | Standard care plus vitamin C Receives: Drug: Antibiotics administration; Drug: Vitamin C |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Hospital Stay
Duration of Hospital Stay in days
Measured: From randomization to hospital discharge, assessed at discharge (up to 30 days).
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted17 Feb 2026
- Study start28 Aug 2025
- Primary completion27 Feb 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion27 Feb 2026 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Pneumonia ChildhoodStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
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 4
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 90 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Children's Hospital and Institute of Child Health, Multan
- Sponsor type
- Other government
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Muhammad Sulaman, Children's Hospital and Institute of Child Health, Multan
- Investigators
- Ayesha F Assitant Professor, FCPS, Study chair, Children Hospital and Institute of Child Health, Multan
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07414693
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- U1111-1334-9511
- Status last verified
- Feb 2026
- First submitted
- 4 Feb 2026
- Last updated
- 17 Feb 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 17 Feb 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Efficacy of Vitamin C as an Adjunct to Standard Treatment in Severe Pneumonia in Children Under Five Years of Age: A Clinical Comparison
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07414693
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- U1111-1334-9511
- Conditions
- Pneumonia Childhood, Vitamin C, Hospital Stay Time
- Keywords
- Pneumonia, Vitamin C, Hospital Stay
- Phase
- Phase 4
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 90 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Children's Hospital and Institute of Child Health, MultanOther government
- Study start
- 28 Aug 2025 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 27 Feb 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 27 Feb 2026 (estimated)
- First posted
- 17 Feb 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Severe pneumonia is a common and serious illness in young children and often requires hospital admission. This clinical trial aims to find out whether adding vitamin C to standard treatment can reduce the length of hospital stay in children under five years of age admitted with severe pneumonia.
The main question this study seeks to answer is:
Does giving vitamin C along with routine treatment help children with severe pneumonia recover faster and go home earlier compared to standard treatment alone?
In this study, 90 children aged 2 to 59 months who are admitted to the Children's Hospital Multan with severe pneumonia will take part. Severe pneumonia is defined by fast breathing, fever, cough, and one or more danger signs such as difficulty feeding, repeated vomiting, seizures, bluish discoloration of lips, or noisy breathing. Children with chronic lung disease or weakened immunity will not be included.
After parental consent, children will be randomly divided into two groups. One group will receive standard treatment only, which includes oxygen therapy and intravenous antibiotics according to hospital protocol. The second group will receive the same standard treatment plus a daily dose of vitamin C. Neither group will receive any experimental or unapproved therapy.
Researchers will closely monitor each child's recovery, including improvement in breathing rate, temperature, oxygen levels, and overall clinical condition. The child will be discharged when the treating physician determines that recovery criteria are met. The number of days spent in the hospital from the start of treatment until discharge will be recorded.
By comparing the average hospital stay between the two groups, this study aims to determine whether vitamin C is a useful and safe add-on treatment for severe pneumonia in young children. The findings may help improve care and reduce hospital stay for children with severe pneumonia in the future.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Standard care | Active comparator | Drug: Antibiotics administrationStandard care alone |
| Adjunct Vitamin C | Experimental | Drug: Antibiotics administration, Drug: Vitamin CStandard care plus vitamin C |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 2 to 59 months
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Child
Key inclusion criteria (2 listed)
- presenting with severe pneumonia
- ≤ 48-hours duration
Key exclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Congenital heart disease
- Children with chronic respiratory illnesses i.e. Asthma, post tuberculosis bronchiectasis and cystic fibrosis
- Immunosuppressed i.e. primary immune deficiency, malignancy, on steroid therapy
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Antibiotics administrationAntibiotics Plus supportive care including oxygen inhalation, intravenous rehydration, and antipyretics | Drug | Adjunct Vitamin C, Standard care |
| Vitamin CAlso: Ascorbic acidStandard care (oxygen inhalation, intravenous rehydration, and antipyretics) plus Vitamin C: 200-mg (2 cc = 4 dropper, should be mixed in milk or water) once a day | Drug | Adjunct Vitamin C |
Primary outcome
Hospital Stay
Time frame: From randomization to hospital discharge, assessed at discharge (up to 30 days).
Duration of Hospital Stay in days
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 17 Feb 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
Ayesha F Assitant Professor, FCPS study chair
Children Hospital and Institute of Child Health, Multan
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A Phase 4 study testing Antibiotics administration and Vitamin C in people with Pneumonia Childhood and Vitamin C, run by Children's Hospital and Institute of Child Health, Multan at 1 site in Pakistan.
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 2 inclusion and 3 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 17 Feb 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 Pakistan. 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.
What does this phase mean?
Phase 4 studies take place after a treatment is approved, to learn more about its long-term benefits and risks in everyday use.
Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.
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 Muhammad S Principal Investigator, MBBS (+92 302 2513701, msulaman1432@gmail.com), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Hospital Stay (time frame: From randomization to hospital discharge, assessed at discharge (up to 30 days).). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
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 17 Feb 2026.