What the trial was testing
The COLCOT enrolled 4,745 patients with coronary artery disease. The study was sponsored by Montreal Heart Institute and tracked outcomes across the full group of patients who matched the trial's eligibility profile.
It was a large trial designed to confirm whether the treatment works well enough for wider use. Trials at this stage are designed to produce evidence regulators and physicians can act on — not just observations to follow up later.
What the results showed
Colchicine reduced the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and urgent heart procedures by 23% in heart attack survivors.
The New England journal of medicine · 2019 · NCT02551094
These findings — that fewer heart attacks, strokes, and urgent procedures in patients taking daily colchicine after a heart attack. — were published in the The New England journal of medicine and represent the headline result of the study.
Researchers tracked outcomes across 4,745 patients enrolled in the trial. The result was consistent enough across the group that the team felt confident reporting it.
What this means for patients
For patients with coronary artery disease, this result changes the calculus on what to ask their care team about. Whether it changes day-to-day care depends on factors like disease subtype, prior treatments, and where the patient is in their care journey.
What you can do now
Colchicine is FDA-approved for gout and pericarditis, and this large trial showed it helps prevent future heart problems after a heart attack. Many cardiologists now prescribe it for this purpose. Talk to your doctor about whether adding colchicine to your heart medications makes sense for you, especially if you've had a recent heart attack.
Eligibility for the treatments mentioned above depends on specific test results and clinical history. Bring this summary, the trial name, and your most recent labs or pathology report to your next visit.
Open coronary artery disease trials
Impact of Procedural Factors on Drug-Coated Balloon Outcomes in Coronary Artery Disease
This registry aimed to investigate drug-coated balloon procedural factors (particularly delivery time and inflation duration) to evaluate the impact on angiographic and clinical outcomes in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention for de novo coronary lesions.
Brazilian Prospective Registry of the Inspiron EVO Drug-Eluting Stent in Complex Coronary Lesions
The objective is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the Inspiron™ EVO drug-eluting stent in complex coronary lesions in a real-world population. Patients with symptomatic ischemic heart disease due to lesions in native coronary arteries and restenotic lesions will be treated with the Inspiron™ EVO drug-eluting stent.