Gout Drug being tested for COVID-19: Researchers at the Montreal Heart Institute have been working day and night to launch the clinical study, named COLCORONA, to find out if colchicine is effective in treating complications of COVID-19. Colchicine is an orally administered anti-inflammatory drug used to treat gout, Behçet's disease and familial Mediterranean fever.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/montreal-heart-institute-study-colchicine-1.5506930
From Wikipedia:
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 a