Colchicine and Post-COVID-19 Pulmonary Fibrosis

Summary

Pulmonary fibrosis is a sequela to adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). 40% of patients with corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) develop ARDS, and 20% of them are severe. Clinical, radiographic, and autopsy reports of pulmonary fibrosis were commonplace following SARS and MERS, and current evidence suggests pulmonary fibrosis could complicate infection by SARS-CoV-2 too. Colchicine has a direct anti-inflammatory effect by inhibiting the synthesis of tumor necrosis factor alpha and IL-6, monocyte migration, and the secretion of matrix metalloproteinase-9. It suppress secretion of cytokines and chemokines as well as in vitro platelet aggregation. All these are potentially beneficial effects that might diminish the COVID-19 inflammatory storm associated with severe cases.

Timeline

Start

2021-03-25

Primary completion

2021-08-25

Completion

2023-10-20

Publications

• Background Deftereos SG, Giannopoulos G, Vrachatis DA, Siasos GD, Giotaki SG, Gargalianos P, Metallidis S, Sianos G, Baltagiannis S, Panagopoulos P, Dolianitis K, Randou E, Syrigos K, Kotanidou A, Koulouris NG, Milionis H, Sipsas N, Gogos C, Tsoukalas G, Olympios CD, Tsagalou E, Migdalis I, Gerakari S, Angelidis C, Alexopoulos D, Davlouros P, Hahalis G, Kanonidis I, Katritsis D, Kolettis T, Manolis AS, Michalis L, Naka KK, Pyrgakis VN, Toutouzas KP, Triposkiadis F, Tsioufis K, Vavouranakis E, Martinez-Dolz L, Reimers B, Stefanini GG, Cleman M, Goudevenos J, Tsiodras S, Tousoulis D, Iliodromitis E, Mehran R, Dangas G, Stefanadis C; GRECCO-19 investigators. Effect of Colchicine vs Standard Care on Cardiac and Inflammatory Biomarkers and Clinical Outcomes in Patients Hospitalized With Coronavirus Disease 2019: The GRECCO-19 Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2020 Jun 1;3(6):e2013136. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.13136.
• Mikolajewska A, Fischer AL, Piechotta V, Mueller A, Metzendorf MI, Becker M, Dorando E, Pacheco RL, Martimbianco ALC, Riera R, Skoetz N, Stegemann M. Colchicine for the treatment of COVID-19. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2021 Oct 18;10(10):CD015045. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD015045.

Drugs

Indications