POS1105 EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF COLCHICINE FOR THE TREATMENT OF OSTEOARTHRITIS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS OF INTERVENTION TRIALS

Abstract

Background: Colchicine, an approved treatment for gout, has been trialled in many diseases, including osteoarthritis (OA), due to its anti-infammatory effects. However, its efficacy and safety remain unclear in OA. Objectives: This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the efficacy and safety of colchicine for the treatment of OA.1 Methods: PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Cochrane Central were searched from inception through November 2020. Two reviewers independently screened for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing colchicine with placebo or other active-comparators for the treatment of OA (knee, hand, or hip OA), extracted data, and performed Cochrane risk of bias assessments. Results: The search retrieved 391 articles after removing duplicates, and 16 full-text articles were reviewed for eligibility (Figure 1A). Te n RCTs, nine in knee OA, one in hand OA, consisting of 847 patients (429 in colchicine arm, 409 in control arm) were included. RCTs were conducted between 2002 and 2021; three in India, two in Iran and Turkey, and one each in Australia, Singapore, and Iraq; follow-up period ranged 2 to 12 months. Moderate-quality evidence showed no clinically important pain reduction with colchicine compared to placebo in knee/hand OA patients (standardised mean difference [SMD],-0.17; 95% confdence interval [CI],-0.55 to 0.22) (Figure 1B). Moderate-quality evidence showed no improvement in dysfunction with colchicine compared to placebo in knee OA patients (SMD,-0.37; 95% CI,-0.87 to 0.13). Colchicine showed an acceptable safety profile with AEs/SAEs comparable to placebo (Figure 1C) Conclusion: Current evidence does not conclusively suggest a beneft of colchi-cine in reducing pain and improving physical function in hand/knee OA patients. Future trials should focus on the sub-groups of OA patients with local or systemic evidence of infammation and/or mineralisation who may beneft from colchicine.