Agence France-PresseJan 25, 2021 10:05:52 IST
A major clinical trial in Canada shows that a cheap anti-inflammatory drug called colchicine can significantly reduce the risk of complications and death from Covid-19, giving sufferers “significant hope”, the chief said. researcher Sunday. Jean-Claude Tardif, head of the Montreal Heart Institute (ICM), led the study called “Colcorona,” and their preliminary results were announced Friday night. The full results will be made public “as soon as possible,” he said in an interview with AFP.
Colchicine is a powerful anti-inflammatory drug that has been known for a long time, it was discovered 150 years ago. It is extracted from a plant called Colchicum autumnale and is used to treat a number of diseases such as gout, inflammatory arthritis, and pericarditis among others. Production image.
Q: What are the key findings of your study, conducted on 4,488 patients worldwide since March 2020?
A: The Colcorona study gave definite results of a greater than 20 percent reduction in hospitalization or Covid-19-related deaths with colchicine, compared to the placebo … When treating patients who have received a test that officially confirms their Covid-19. diagnosis, the outcome with colchicine is even better, i.e., a 25 percent reduction in hospitals, 50 percent in need of an ventilator and 44 percent in deaths.
The idea behind the study was that the reason patients develop complications from Covid is the overactive inflammatory response that patients’ white blood cells develop in response to the virus … Our understanding was that using a drug like colchicine to reduce this inflammatory reaction, known as “cytokine storms,” it could prevent complications.
Q: Why do you think the results are so important in the global fight against the pandemic?
A: Colchicine is a powerful anti-inflammatory drug that has been known for a long time, it was discovered 150 years ago. It is taken from a plant called Colchicum autumnale and is used to treat a number of diseases such as gout, inflammatory arthritis, and pericarditis among others.
The beauty of the results of the study is that colchicine is already available in pharmacies because it is used safely and cheaply for many diseases … Our discovery will not be useful only in France, Canada and the US and G8 countries, but (also in) developing countries, poor countries, Africa, Asia will quickly benefit from cheap colchicine, which is taken orally in tablet form.
Our findings provide important hope for patients, healthcare systems and governments. Finally, we provide part of an important solution to reduce hospitals and ultimately reduce congestion in the hospital system.
Q: Scientists are now waiting for the full results of your study, when do you plan to publish them?
A: We are submitting the manuscript to a major scientific journal today (Sunday). I can’t accept the publication date, the magazine will do its job, this is one of the biggest magazines in the world. We will share the rest of the results as soon as possible, perhaps even before the final publication (in the magazine). We are confident that our results are final, credible and can be used immediately to benefit patients.
There may be a quick review by regulatory bodies, EMA (European Medicines Agency), Health Canada in Canada, the FDA in the US, which will do a quick review of the data … A -now I think doctors don’t have to wait for this regulatory review with the organizations … Doctors, health practitioners, will be able to provide it immediately because it is already available.