Coronavirus: Colchicine will not save us says pharmacy professor

Colchicine will not help save us from the coronavirus, but it could be useful in addressing the inflammation it causes, University of Nicosia associate pharmacy professor Christos Petrou said on Tuesday.

As an anti-inflammatory drug, Colchicine could help save the lives of those more vulnerable to inflammation, Petrou said, but before the use of the drug becomes part of our Covid-19 protocol, it is important to wait for results of the official study to be published.

“Apart from the press release reporting the effectiveness of the drug, we have no credible, scientifically proven results to confirm this is actually true,” he added.

Colchicine has been widely used to treat diseases like gout, but a recent study in Canada showed it could also help coronavirus patients. The drug has already been approved for use in Greece and is being considered by the ministry of health in Cyprus.

The study in question involves administering the drug to patients over 60, and to those younger than that who have an underlying health problem and develop a fever.

Results are expected in the following weeks, but the data presented so far is encouraging, Petrou said, as it shows Colchicine could be effective in reducing the risk of hospitalisation among vulnerable groups.

As far as variants are concerned, they will keep appearing for as long as the virus keeps circulating, Petrou said.

In addition, he said that while some of them have not massively affected infection rates, others could prove to be deadlier.

“If we don’t address the virus through pharmaceutical or other means, this will never end,” he said.

Finally, Petrou said that it is not yet possible to present a final vaccination schedule for Cyprus as Astra Zeneca has not provided any new information on the release of more vaccines.