Colchicine No Benefit Over Supportive Care for COVID-19

TUESDAY, Nov. 30, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Colchicine does not seem to offer benefit over supportive care for management of patients with COVID-19, according to research published online Nov. 22 in Rheumatic & Musculoskeletal Diseases.

Kedar Gautambhai Mehta, M.B.B.S., M.D., from GMERS Medical College Gotri in Vadodara, India, and colleagues conducted a meta-analysis to examine the efficacy and safety of colchicine in COVID-19 patients. Mortality, ventilatory support, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and length of hospital stay were the efficacy outcomes, while safety outcomes included adverse events, serious adverse events, and diarrhea.

The meta-analysis included six studies, involving 16,148 patients with COVID-19. The researchers found no significant reduction in mortality, ventilatory support, ICU admission, length of stay, or serious adverse events for patients receiving colchicine versus supportive care only. The rates of adverse events and diarrhea were higher for patients receiving colchicine versus supportive care only (risk ratios, 1.58 and 1.93, respectively).

“Our findings suggest no definitive clinical benefit of addition of colchicine in the treatment of COVID-19,” the authors write. “Colchicine was not found to be beneficial in reducing mortality, need of ventilatory support, or need of ICU admission in patients with COVID-19.”

Abstract/Full Text