Table 1.
Demographic characteristics of enrolled studies investigating colchicine in treating COVID-19.
| Study, Year [Ref] | Country | Participants, N | Male, N (%) | Median Age (Years Old) | Severity | Mortality (Overall/Colchicine/Control, %) |
Dose/Duration | Study Design | Concomitant Medication | Primary Outcomes | Secondary Outcomes | Author Conclusion * |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brunetti, 2020 [24] | USA | 66 | 43 (65) | 61.7 | Hospitalized | 21.2/9.1/33.3 | 1.2 mg followed by 0.6 mg 1 h later | Propensity-matched study | HCQ, AZI, tocilizumab, REM | 28-day mortality | Clinical improvement, oxygen weaning, discharge | Y |
| COLCORONA trial, 2021 [17] | Brazil, Canada, Greece, South Africa, Spain, and the USA | 4488 | 2069 (46.1) | 53 | Non-hospitalized | 0.3/0.2/0.4 | 0.5 mg twice per day for 3 days and then once per day for 27 days thereafter | Phase 3 randomized, double-blinded trial | HCQ, anticoagulant, aspirin, other platelet agents | Mortality or hospital admission for COVID-19 30 days after randomization | Mechanical ventilation, pneumonias, adverse events | N (for all cases); Y (for PCR-confirmed cases) |
| García-Posada, 2021 [26] | Colombia | 209 | 127 (61) | 60 | Hospitalized (100 in ICU) | 51.2/49.6/53.1 | 20 days if no intolerance or hypersensitivity | Descriptive observational study | Antibiotics, low molecular weight heparin, corticosteroids, tocilizumab | Mortality | Clinical manifestations | Y |
| GRECCO-19 trial, 2020 [25] | Greece | 105 | 61 (58.1) | 63 | Hospitalized | 4.8/1.8/8 | 1.5 mg loading dose followed by 0.5 mg after 60 min and maintenance doses of 0.5 mg twice daily, 3 weeks | Prospective, open-label, randomized clinical trial | HCQ, AZI, Lopinavir or ritonavir, tocilizumab, anticoagulation | Maximum high-sensitivity cardiac troponin level; time for C-reactive protein increase and clinical deterioration |
Mechanical ventilation; all-cause mortality; adverse events | Y (narrow margin of clinical significance) |
| Kevorkian, 2021 [27] | France | 68 | 53 (77.9) | 68 | Hospitalized | 2.9/0/5 | 1 mg followed by 0.5 mg 1 h later, then 0.5 mg q8 h for total 8 mg | Observational cohort study | Prednisolone, furosemide, salicylate, direct anti-Xa inhibitor | Oxygen use; mechanical ventilation; 28-day mortality | Adverse events | Y |
| Lopes, 2020 [28] | Brazil | 35 | 14 (40) | 48 | Hospitalized (moderate to severe cases) | 0/0/0 | 0.5 mg twice daily for 5 days, then 0.5 mg twice daily for 5 days |
Randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial | HCQ, AZI, heparin, methylprednisolone | Oxygen use; time of hospitalization; intensive care unit; death rate; and causes of mortality |
Laboratory tests; adverse events, etc. | Y |
| Mahale, 2020 [29] | India | 134 | 91 (68) | 55.6 | Hospitalized patients with oxygen therapy | 26.9/28.2/26.3 | 0.5 mg/day for 1 week | Retrospective observational study | HCQ, AZI, methylprednisolone, etoricoxib, tocilizumab, Abx | In-hospital mortality | Clinical manifestations | ND |
| Pinzón, 2020 [30] | Colombia | 301 | 178 (59.1) | 56.8 | Hospitalized for COVID-19 pneumonia | 12.3/9.7/14.7 | 0.5 mg every 12 h for 7 to 14 days | Observational study | HCQ, AZI, corticosteroid, lopinavir/ritonavir, Abx | Mortality | Cormobidities, clinical manifestations | Y |
| RECOVERY trial, 2021 [16] | U.K. (Indonesia, Nepal) | 11,340 | 7908 (69.7) | 63.4 | Hospitalized | 20.8/20.9/20.8 | 1 mg followed by 0.5 mg 12 h later and then 0.5 mg twice for 10 days | Randomized, controlled, open-label trial | Dexamethasone, HCQ, AZI, lopinavir-ritonavir, tocilizumab, and convalescent plasma | 28-day all-cause mortality | Discharge; mechanical ventilation | N |
| Sandhu, 2020 [31] | USA | 197 | 114 (57.9) | 70 | Hospitalized (moderate to severe) | 66.5/49.1/72.9 | 0.6 mg twice a day for three days and then 0.6 mg once a day (total 12 days) | Prospective comparative cohort study (case control) | HCQ, steroid, enoxaparin, heparin, etc. | Mortality, mechanical ventilation | Inflammatory markers | Y |
| Scarsi, 2020 [32] | Italy | 262 | 167 (63.7) | 69.3 | Hospitalized, with pneumonia | 27.5/16.4/37.1 | 1 mg/day | Prospective cohort study | HCQ, dexamethasone, lopinavir/ritonavir | Mortality | Clinical manifestations | Y |
* Y: Authors support colchicine use; N: No significant difference between colchicine and control group; ND; not described; # Abbreviations: Abx: antibiotics; AZI, azithromycin; HCQ: hydroxychloroquine; REF: reference; REM: remdemsivir.