The Colchinia Cardiovascular Outcomes Trial (COLCOT) was conducted at 167 research sites in 12 countries, on some 4,800 patients
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COLCOT investigated the efficacy of colchicine as an adjunct to standard therapy for the prevention of ischemic cardiovascular events in patients with recent myocardial infarction. The Montreal Health Innovations Coordinating Center piloted the study and conducted the statistical analyses. The results were published on November 16th, 2019 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Colchicine, derived from the colchicum flower, has been a known medication since the 1820s. Its anti-inflammatory properties are used for the treatment of gout, pericarditis and Familial Mediterranean Fever. In this study, patients who received colchicine at a daily dose of 0.5 mg had significantly lower rates of ischemic cardiovascular events (first and recurrent) than those receiving placebo.
Within 30 days of myocardial infarction, COLCOT patients were randomly assigned to receive colchicine 0.5 mg daily or placebo, in addition to standard therapy. They were then followed for a median of 23 months.
The data from the COLCOT study demonstrate the efficacy of colchicine as an effective and highly useful treatment for reducing inflammation following myocardial infarction to improve patients' cardiovascular outcomes. By redefining the use of an old drug, the COLCOT Study proves that there are plenty of innovations in the life sciences in order to find new medical applications that are cost-effective and time-efficient.