A placebo-controlled, multicenter, clinical trial showed Pharmacol-40 low-molecular weight chitosan is efficacious, safe, and well-tolerated.

Since Pharmacol-40 binds to cholesterol in the gut, the researchers assessed whether fat-soluble vitamin absorption might be inhibited. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were tested in a random sample of 91 subjects in the treatment group and 22 individuals in the placebo group at the beginning of the study and after 12 weeks. No significant difference was seen between groups, indicating Pharmacol-40 does not result in decreased vitamin D levels.