Trial to Study the Benefit of Colchicine in Patients With COVID-19

Overview

COVID-19 is associated with a cytokine storm that leads to respiratory distress, multiorgan failure and elevated mortality. Oral colchicine exhibits high anti-inflammatory capacity attributed to the inhibition of microtubules polymerization, inflammasome and production of IL-1β and IL-6, which could prevent the inflammatory storm in COVID-19 patients at risk. We present a randomized clinical trial, controlled, open-label and pragmatic, including COVID-19 patients requiring hospitalization but no intensive care yet. Colchicine will be started within the first 48 hours and then administered for four weeks using a descending dose. The benefit will be study in terms of clinical evolution (WHO 7-point scale) and IL-6 levels, as well as other clinical and biochemical secondary end-points. In the case of positive results, the clinical impact would be relevant given that this oral medication is widely accessible which would help to prevent the inflammatory complications associated with COVID-19.

This is a Phase III, prospective, pragmatic, randomized, controlled and open-label trial, comparing standard of care vs. standard of care plus COLCHICINE for four weeks, in patients hospitalized due to COVID-19 and confirmed infection by SARSCov2, within the first 48 hours after the hospital admission. Patients meeting severity criteria will be excluded, defined as established limitation of therapeutic effort or need for invasive mechanical ventilation at the time of inclusion. The colchicine treatment includes an initial dose of 1.5 mg (1 mg and 0.5 mg two hours after), followed by 0.5 mg every 12 hours during the next 7 days and 0.5 mg every 24 hours until the completion of 28 days of total treatment. In patients receiving ritonavir or lopinavir or with reduced renal clearance (\<50 ml/min/1.37m2), weight \<70 kg or age \>75 years old, the dose will be adjusted to the half. Patients meeting all the inclusion criteria and none of the exclusion ones (see below), after signing the informed consent, will be centrally randomized to "colchicine" or "control" group. Patients in both groups will receive the standard therapy for COVID-19 according to the stablished hospital protocols. Randomization will be controlled by: age, sex, time from initiation of symptoms, cardiovascular disease, the 7 point WHO and levels of C-reactive protein, ferritin, D-dimer, IL-6 and lymphocyte levels.