Greece on Sunday approved the inclusion of colchicine, a cheap medicine for heart disease, in the oral treatment protocol for patients with Covid-19.
The committee of health ministry experts has given the “green light” to the positive results of a major Canadian study in which Greece participated.
The study showed that the administration of colchicine to Covid-19 patients “reduced deaths by 44%, hospitalization by 25% and the need for intubation by 50%”, said professor of cardiology Spyros Deftereos, who coordinated the study in Greece , told Athens-Macedonia. News Agency (AMNA).
The committee decided to include the drug colchicine for use in out-of-hospital patients.
However, the administration will be done according to doctor’s prescription in certain categories of patients with a positive coronavirus molecular test.
These are all patients older than 60 who undergo a positive molecular test, regardless of whether they have underlying diseases.
Also for patients aged 18 to 60 years with at least one underlying disease or fever older than 38 for at least 48 hours.
Canadian study
The study of the treatment of Covid-19 by colchicine was conducted by a team of researchers from the Montreal Heart Institute.
For dr. Jean-Claude Tardif, who led the study, said it was an ‘important scientific discovery’, he said. Colchicine is the first “effective oral remedy for outpatients.”
“To be able to offer it from Quebec and for the planet, we are very happy,” Tardif said.
The ColCorona study involved 4,159 patients whose diagnosis of COVID-19 was confirmed by a nasopharyngeal test (PCR).
Reducing congestion in hospitals
“This is the first hope for patients who have COVID, who are worried and who hope they will not have complications,” Tardif said. Previously, there were “no tablets that can be taken by mouth and the risks reduced.”
Tardif said he believes prescribing the drug could quickly reduce congestion in hospitals and reduce the cost of health care in Quebec and elsewhere.
“Our study showed the effectiveness of treatment with colchicine in preventing the onset of the major inflammatory storm and reducing complications associated with COVID-19,” he said.
Because colchicine is a well-understood drug, it can be used very quickly to treat people with COVID-19, the researcher says.
“Colchicine is old as it is – we have been treating gout with it for hundreds of years – so it is available in pharmacies,” Tardif said in French.
“So, every doctor who reads this can definitely decide to prescribe if he wants to.”
Quebec Premier Francois Legault called the study the big news on social media on Friday night.