Montreal Heart Institute Begins Clinical Research of Inexpensive Ancient Drug to Treat COVID-19

Colchicine, an orally administered anti-inflammatory drug, was first used as early as 1500 BC. (Photo: Anna Shvets / Pexels )

Researchers at the Montreal Heart Institute have started selecting people above the age of 40 who test positive for COVID-19 to study the impact of the drug Colchicine on treating complications of the deadly virus.

Colchicine, an orally administered anti-inflammatory drug, was first used as early as 1500 BC in the form of autumn crocus, (a toxic autumn-blooming flowering plant) to treat joint swelling.

Nowadays the powerful medication is approved in the treatment of gout, Behçet’s disease, pericarditis and familial Mediterranean fever.

The clinical study, will evaluate the impact of the widely available inexpensive drug in treating complications of COVID-19.