It has been found that an inexpensive remedy normally used for the treatment of gout can significantly reduce hospital stay among Covid-19 patients and the need for extra oxygen.
The results of new research on colchicine conducted in Brazil come after an international trial published on Wednesday found that it reduced hospitalizations and deaths among Covid-19 patients by more than 20%.
Colchicine, used to treat rheumatic diseases, was considered by researchers to be the potential to be the first oral drug to treat Covid-19 in outpatients, in a trial funded by the Quebec government and philanthropists.
The latest trial, funded by foundations and Brazilian authorities, suggested that the drug could reduce the body’s inflammatory response and prevent damage to the cells on the walls of blood vessels.
“Whatever the mechanism of action … colchicine appears to be beneficial for the treatment of hospitalized patients with Covid-19,” according to a report on the small clinical trial published in the online journal RMD Open, published by the British Medical Journal be published. .
The researchers added that it is not related to serious side effects such as heart or liver damage or suppression of the immune system, factors that are sometimes linked to other drugs used to treat Covid.
The reduction in the need for oxygen therapy and the duration of hospital stay was not only good for patients but also reduced the cost of health care and the need for hospital beds.
However, they also issued a warning that only a small number of patients were admitted to the trial, and that they could not determine whether colchicine would avoid the need for intensive care or reduce the risk of death.
Brazil has been hit particularly hard by the pandemic, while health workers in the country’s largest country are begging for help and oxygen supplies following a sharp increase in Covid infections.
While colchicine has been used to treat and prevent inflammatory conditions, a hallmark of some Covid infections, the researchers wanted to find out if it could reduce the need for extra oxygen or long-term hospital stays.
The research was conducted between April and August last year when 75 patients admitted to the hospital with a moderate to severe Covid-19 were randomly assigned to receive different levels of colchicine.
The results are based on 72 patients. The average duration of patients requiring oxygen therapy was found to be four days for those treated with additional colchicine, compared with 6.5 days for those receiving standard treatment.
The average duration of hospital stay was seven days for the colchicine group compared to nine for the other group.