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Greek trial into Covid-19 treatment 'very encouraging,' scientist says (Colchicine)
Ekathimerini
April 20 2020
The initial results of an ongoing Greek study into the benefits of the anti-inflammatory agent colchicine in treating Covid-19 are “very encouraging,” according to the scientist heading the trial.
“The data we analyzed up until last night are very encouraging,” cardiologist and Athens Medical School professor Christodoulos Stefanadis told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA) on Monday of the double-blind study, which has been carried out on 120 patients over the past two weeks, with half receiving the drug.
Some of these encouraging findings, according to Stefanadis, include a drop in levels of the C-reactive protein inflammation marker, in disease-fighting white blood cells called eosinophils and in troponin, which measures damage to the heart.
“All of this evidence appears to point to it being a very important drug for helping coronavirus patients who are at risk from catastrophic complications, like a shutdown of the heart or lungs,” Stefanadis said.
The study, he told the ANA-MPA, was initially designed to assess the potential benefits of colchicine on Covid-19 patients with underlying heart disease, though its apparent usefulness in fighting inflammations induced by the virus that severely damage the lungs has prompted the Greek team to also explore is preventive properties.
“What we know right now is that hospital patients taking colchicine are showing a statistically significant reduction in inflammation compared to those who are not, regardless of whether they have heart problems,” Stefanadis said.
“For years we have known that colchicine is a very cheap anti-inflammatory medicine that helps treat pericarditis,” he added, referring to the inflammation of the sac surrounding the heart. “That is how the idea of studying in on coronavirus began.”
“The data we analyzed up until last night are very encouraging,” cardiologist and Athens Medical School professor Christodoulos Stefanadis told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA) on Monday of the double-blind study, which has been carried out on 120 patients over the past two weeks, with half receiving the drug.
Some of these encouraging findings, according to Stefanadis, include a drop in levels of the C-reactive protein inflammation marker, in disease-fighting white blood cells called eosinophils and in troponin, which measures damage to the heart.
“All of this evidence appears to point to it being a very important drug for helping coronavirus patients who are at risk from catastrophic complications, like a shutdown of the heart or lungs,” Stefanadis said.
The study, he told the ANA-MPA, was initially designed to assess the potential benefits of colchicine on Covid-19 patients with underlying heart disease, though its apparent usefulness in fighting inflammations induced by the virus that severely damage the lungs has prompted the Greek team to also explore is preventive properties.
“What we know right now is that hospital patients taking colchicine are showing a statistically significant reduction in inflammation compared to those who are not, regardless of whether they have heart problems,” Stefanadis said.
“For years we have known that colchicine is a very cheap anti-inflammatory medicine that helps treat pericarditis,” he added, referring to the inflammation of the sac surrounding the heart. “That is how the idea of studying in on coronavirus began.”
Read more: https://www.ekathimerini.com/251856/article/ekathimerini/news/greek-trial-into-covid-19-treatment-very-encouraging-scientist-says
About Colchicine
Colchicine is a medication used to treat gout and Behçet's disease.[1][2][3] In gout, it is less preferred to NSAIDs or steroids.[2] Other uses include the prevention of pericarditis and familial Mediterranean fever.[2][4] It is taken by mouth.[2]
Common side effects include gastrointestinal upset, particularly at high doses.[5] Severe side effects may include low blood cells and rhabdomyolysis.[2] Safety of use during pregnancy is unclear while use during breastfeeding appears safe.[2][6] Excessive doses may result in death.[2] Colchicine works by decreasing inflammation via multiple mechanisms.[7]
Colchicine, in the form of the autumn crocus, has been used as early as 1500 BC to treat joint swelling.[8] It was approved for medical use in the United States in 1961.[9] It is available as a generic medication in the United Kingdom, where a month's supply costs the NHS about £7.27 as of 2019.[6] In the United States, the wholesale cost of this amount is about US$252.20.[10] In 2017, it was the 201st most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than two million prescriptions.[11][12]
Common side effects include gastrointestinal upset, particularly at high doses.[5] Severe side effects may include low blood cells and rhabdomyolysis.[2] Safety of use during pregnancy is unclear while use during breastfeeding appears safe.[2][6] Excessive doses may result in death.[2] Colchicine works by decreasing inflammation via multiple mechanisms.[7]
Colchicine, in the form of the autumn crocus, has been used as early as 1500 BC to treat joint swelling.[8] It was approved for medical use in the United States in 1961.[9] It is available as a generic medication in the United Kingdom, where a month's supply costs the NHS about £7.27 as of 2019.[6] In the United States, the wholesale cost of this amount is about US$252.20.[10] In 2017, it was the 201st most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than two million prescriptions.[11][12]
Mechanism of action
In gout, inflammation in joints results from the precipitation of circulating uric acid, exceeding its solubility in blood and depositing as crystals of monosodium urate in and around synovial fluid and soft tissues of joints.[7] These crystal deposits cause inflammatory arthritis, which is initiated and sustained by mechanisms involving various proinflammatory mediators, such as cytokines.[7] Colchicine accumulates in white blood cells and affects them in a variety of ways: decreasing motility, mobilization (especially chemotaxis) and adhesion.[25]
Under preliminary research are various mechanisms by which colchicine may interfere with gout inflammation:
inhibits microtubule polymerization by binding to its constitutive protein, tubulin[7]
as availability of tubulin is essential to mitosis, colchicine may inhibit mitosis[7]
inhibits activation and migration of neutrophils to sites of inflammation[19]
interferes with the inflammasome complex found in neutrophils and monocytes that mediate interleukin-1? activation, a component of inflammation[19]
inhibits superoxide anion production in response to urate crystals[7]
interrupts mast cell and lysosome degranulation[7][25]
inhibits release of glycoproteins that promote chemotaxis from synovial cells and neutrophils[25]
Generally, colchicine appears to inhibit multiple proinflammatory mechanisms, while enabling increased levels of anti-inflammatory mediators.[7] Apart from inhibiting mitosis, colchicine inhibits neutrophil motility and activity, leading to a net anti-inflammatory effect, which has efficacy for inhibiting or preventing gout inflammation.[7][19]
In gout, inflammation in joints results from the precipitation of circulating uric acid, exceeding its solubility in blood and depositing as crystals of monosodium urate in and around synovial fluid and soft tissues of joints.[7] These crystal deposits cause inflammatory arthritis, which is initiated and sustained by mechanisms involving various proinflammatory mediators, such as cytokines.[7] Colchicine accumulates in white blood cells and affects them in a variety of ways: decreasing motility, mobilization (especially chemotaxis) and adhesion.[25]
Under preliminary research are various mechanisms by which colchicine may interfere with gout inflammation:
inhibits microtubule polymerization by binding to its constitutive protein, tubulin[7]
as availability of tubulin is essential to mitosis, colchicine may inhibit mitosis[7]
inhibits activation and migration of neutrophils to sites of inflammation[19]
interferes with the inflammasome complex found in neutrophils and monocytes that mediate interleukin-1? activation, a component of inflammation[19]
inhibits superoxide anion production in response to urate crystals[7]
interrupts mast cell and lysosome degranulation[7][25]
inhibits release of glycoproteins that promote chemotaxis from synovial cells and neutrophils[25]
Generally, colchicine appears to inhibit multiple proinflammatory mechanisms, while enabling increased levels of anti-inflammatory mediators.[7] Apart from inhibiting mitosis, colchicine inhibits neutrophil motility and activity, leading to a net anti-inflammatory effect, which has efficacy for inhibiting or preventing gout inflammation.[7][19]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colchicine
Posted "for what it's worth". Maybe this will show benefit. Or it could be another hydroxychloroquine.
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