COLCORONA topline results: Colchicine reduces hospitalization, death in COVID-19
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Colchicine reduced hospitalization and mortality in patients with COVID-19 by more than 20%, according to topline results of the COLCORONA randomized trial.
According to a press release from the Montreal Heart Institute, the COLCORONA trial indicates colchicine, an anti-inflammatory drug primarily used to treat gout, could prevent cytokine storm and other complications in patients with COVID-19 compared with placebo.
Treating higher-risk patients with colchicine as soon as a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis reduced risk for developing a severe form of the disease and subsequently lowered the number of hospitalizations, according to the release.
For the contactless, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, researchers in Canada, U.S., Europe, South America and South Africa evaluated the efficacy of colchicine in lowering risk for severe complications associated with COVID-19. COLCORONA included approximately 4,488 patients with COVID-19 and at least one other risk factor for COVID-19 complications, who were not hospitalized at the time of enrollment.
In the overall cohort, colchicine reduced death or hospitalization by 21% compared with placebo, a result that “approached statistical significance,” according to the release.
In an analysis of 4,159 patients who had a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis from a nasopharyngeal PCR test, compared with placebo, colchicine reduced hospitalizations by 25%, the need for mechanical ventilation by 50% and mortality by 44%, and these results were statistically significant, according to the release.
“Our research shows the efficacy of colchicine treatment in preventing the ‘cytokine storm’ phenomenon and reducing the complications associated with COVID-19,” Jean-Claude Tardif, MD, director of the Montreal Heart Institute Research Center and professor of medicine at the Université de Montréal, said in the release. “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 Healio previously reported, colchicine has also been shown to reduce CVD risk in high-risk patients from the COLCOT and LoDoCo2 trials.
Perspective
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As an inexpensive anti-inflammatory already shown effective for preventing CV events, colchicine in theory might be effective in COVID-19 if early use can block cytokine release. That being said, we need to see the actual data and I understand the investigators are doing their best to provide it rapidly.
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