Colchicine, commonly used to treat gout, reduced the risk of hospitalizations or death in Covid-19 patients, a study showed. The study results could make colchicine the only oral drug that proved efficacy against Covid-19.
On Saturday, the Montreal Heart Institute (MHI) released the results of the COLCORONA trial conducted on about 4,500 patients worldwide.
The study was a contactless, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial at the home of non-hospitalized Covid-19 patients in Canada, the U.S., Europe, and South America, and South Africa. It was the world’s largest study on oral treatment against Covid-19.
At the time of enrollment, the participants were not hospitalized. However, they had at least one risk factor for Covid-19 complications.
The results showed that colchicine lowered the risk of death or hospitalizations in patients with Covid-19 by 21 percent, compared to placebo.
The gout drug reduced hospitalizations by 25 percent, the need for mechanical ventilation by 50 percent, and deaths by 44 percent.
The MHI’s research team said using colchicine for patients at risk of complications as soon as Covid-19 is confirmed by PCR testing could lower the chance of developing a severe form of the disease. The reduced number of hospitalizations can help relieve the overcrowding at medical institutions and save healthcare costs, the researchers said.
“Our research shows the efficacy of colchicine treatment in preventing the ‘cytokine storm’ phenomenon and reducing the complications associated with Covid-19,” said Dr. Jean-Claude Tardif, Director of the MHI Research Center, Professor of Medicine at the Université de Montréal and Principal Investigator of the COLCORONA trial. “We are pleased to offer the first oral medication in the world whose use could have a significant impact on public health and potentially prevent Covid-19 complications for millions of patients.”
As colchicine has been used as a gout drug for a long time, physicians can prescribe it immediately, Tardif said. He also noted that patients could easily take the medication at home and purchase it from a pharmacy.
In Korea, colchicine is authorized as a prescription drug to treat and prevent acute gout attacks. The state health insurance agency set the reimbursement rate for colchicine at 75 won ($0.068) per tablet. Brand names of colchicine-containing drugs include Colchine Tab. by Korea United Pharm and Colchicine Tab. by Reyon Pharmaceutical.