Colchicine is a medication used for gout. It works in many different ways, including activating anti-inflammatory processes and interfering with cells involved in inflammation. Researchers think that colchicine could work similarly to tocilizumab (Actemra) in COVID-19 patients in that it might be helpful if the immune system becomes too activated and a cytokine storm occurs. A large clinical trial is currently seeing if colchicine, when given soon after a COVID-19 diagnosis, can lower the chances of hospitalization and death.
COLCRYS (Colchicine)
There has also been some media coverage of the COLCORONA study, which is not yet peer-reviewed. Researchers found that the rate of death and hospitalization was lower in non-hospitalized, high-risk COVID-19 patients who got colchicine compared to those who did not (4.7% vs. 5.8%, respectively). The need for mechanical ventilation was also lower in the colchicine group (0.5% vs. 1.0%). However, these findings were not statistically significant, meaning they could have happened due to random chance.
