The effectiveness of Colchicine as an anti-inflammatory drug in the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019: Meta-analysis

Abstract

A recently discovered coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, caused a global respiratory disease pandemic called COVID-19. Many studies have shown the excessive activation of the innate immune response that leads to the adverse outcomes of COVID-19, and anti-inflammatory drugs are very useful in the treatment and management of this infection. The activities of Colchicine, one of the anti-inflammatory drugs, target several pathways related to excessive inflammation of COVID-19. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Colchicine in the treatment of COVID-19 using a meta-analysis approach. Scopus, Pubmed, Google scholars, Web of Science, and Science direct were used to search all the randomized controlled trials, case-control, and cross-sectional studies that have evaluated the efficacy of Colchicine as a treatment for COVID-19 (up to 28 May 2021). The overall effect of Colchicine versus the control group was determined using a random-effects model meta-analysis where we compared changes (i.e. mean differences—Colchicine group vs Control group) between the two conditions in test scores indicative of hospitalization time (day) and mortality rate. The results illustrated Colchicine therapy is associated with a decreased mortality rate in COVID-19 patients and associated with a decrease in hospitalization time (day) in COVID-19 patients. Present preliminary data shows that Colchicine has a beneficial effect on coronavirus disease care in 2019. Therefore, Colchicine can be a good suggestion in the management of COVID-19.