Colchicine use might be associated with lower mortality in COVID‐19 patients: A meta‐analysis

BACKGROUND: Colchicine was recently repurposed for the management of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19). This rapid review and meta‐analysis aimed to assess colchicine's impact on mortality outcomes in COVID‐19 patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We systematically searched PubMed, EMBASE, Google Scholar since their inception till 25/03/2021 for observational or controlled studies that reported mortality as an outcome. The mortality odd ratios were generated with their corresponding 95% confidence intervals utilizing the random‐effects model. RESULTS: Nine studies comprising 5522 patients met our inclusion criteria. Our meta‐analysis revealed significantly lower mortality in the colchicine group (OR 0.35, 95% CI 0.25‐0.48, I2 0%) compared with controls. A subgroup analysis limited to hospitalized patients (OR 0.35, 95% CI 0.25‐0.50, I2 0%) revealed similarly lower mortality in the colchicine group. CONCLUSIONS: This meta‐analysis suggests a mortality benefit with colchicine when used in the treatment of COVID‐19 patients. The majority of included studies were observational; thus, the findings of this review need to be further supported by the results of ongoing trials.