NEW YORK, Oct. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — With rising numbers of Americans testing positive for COVID-19, including President Trump, the COLCORONA trial adds enrollment sites in the United States and including locations in Mississippi, Arizona, Minnesota, South Carolina, North Carolina and Florida. The trial is testing an available and affordable generic drug (colchicine) in the at-home setting.
The international COLCORONA clinical trial is evaluating colchicine, a common drug for gout, as a potential treatment to reduce severity of illness, complications, and hospitalizations due to COVID-19. Previous polling showed that Americans were more likely to receive information about the health and treatments of their political leaders than their option to enroll in a clinical trial through media sources. A Harris Poll survey shows over 60% of Americans have heard or read little to nothing at all about available clinical trials for newly diagnosed COVID-19 patients involving generic medications or drugs that are already approved for other uses (8/16/2020).
Current research with COVID-19 is showing a link between inflammation and severe progression of disease. Recent studies have shown the potential of the anti-inflammatory agent colchicine to reduce symptom severity and mortality in patients afflicted with COVID-19.
“Unfortunately, a significant number of Americans are unaware of clinical trials like COLCORONA that are testing treatments available immediately upon results,” said Dr. Jean-Claude Tardif, Director of the Research Center at the Montreal Heart Institute, Professor of Medicine at the University of Montreal, and COLCORONA principal investigator. “Results from the large definitive COLCORONA trial, which has enrolled close to 2500 with a goal to 6000 patients, may eventually offer an important option to prevent COVID-19 complications including hospitalizations in newly diagnosed at-home patients.”
The COLCORONA trial continues to expand enrollment with sites in the United States in California (Los Angeles, San Francisco, Bakersfield), Texas (Houston, Dallas), Florida (Miami, Jacksonville), Arizona (Yuma and Phoenix), Rochester (Minnesota), Greenville (South Carolina), Chapel Hill (North Carolina), Hattiesburg (Mississippi) and the New York tri-state area as well as in Canada, Spain, Brazil and South Africa, with more sites continually added.
Non-hospitalized patients aged 40 years and above, diagnosed with COVID-19, can participate for free by calling the hotline at 1-877-536-6837. Once enrolled in the study, they will have the medicine or placebo delivered directly to their home and will also have the support of a dedicated healthcare team 24/7 for any questions. COLCORONA is an at-home, contact-less clinical study approved by health authorities that is designed to have minimal burden on patients and is one of the few current studies of COVID-19 infection in which non-hospitalized individuals can participate.
About the COLCORONA Trial
COLCORONA is a contact-free, at-home, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study conducted in the United States, Canada, South America, Europe, and South Africa. COLCORONA is coordinated by the Montreal Health Innovations Coordinating Center (MHICC) and funded by the Government of Quebec, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH). Montreal philanthropist Sophie Desmarais, Pharmascience, CGI, and DACIMA are also collaborators of COLCORONA.
The Montreal Heart Institute and its partners worldwide would like to thank all the patients and investigators for their continued participation in the COLCORONA study.
For more information about the study, visit www.colcorona.net.
About the Montreal Heart Institute
Founded in 1954, the Montreal Heart Institute constantly aims for the highest standards of excellence in the cardiovascular field through its leadership in clinical and basic research, ultra-specialized care, professional training, and prevention. It houses the largest research center in Canada, the largest cardiovascular prevention center in the country, and the largest cardiovascular genetics center in Canada. The Institute is affiliated with the University of Montreal and has more than 2000 employees, including 245 doctors and more than 85 researchers.
About the Montreal Health Innovations Coordinating Center (MHICC)
The Montreal Health Innovations Coordinating Center (MHICC) is a leading academic clinical research organization and an integral part of the Montreal Heart Institute (MHI). The MHICC possesses an established network of collaborators in over 4500 clinical sites in more than 40 countries. It has specific expertise in precision medicine, low-cost high-quality clinical trials, and drug repurposing.
SOURCE Montreal Heart Institute
