Colchicine, an anti-inflammatory drug normally used to treat gout, doesn’t lessen Covid-19 severity or stave off the risk of death in hospital patients. It is also associated with a high risk of side effects, according to research published in RMD Open.

Early observational studies had suggested that colchicine might be a useful Covid-19 treatment, but the new research concludes: “Colchicine does not reduce the risk of mortality, need for ventilatory support, intensive care unit admission or length of hospital stay among patients with Covid-19.” 

The researchers do say, however, that their findings should be interpreted cautiously due to the inclusion of open labelled randomised clinical trial data.