A Canadian Study May Have Found The World's First-Ever Oral Drug To Help Treat COVID-19
There's good news in the fight against COVID-19. Researchers from Canada say they've found the world's first-ever oral drug that can be used to help fight the virus.
Quebec researchers say they have found "an effective" drug that could help millions of non-hospitalized patients, according to the Montreal Heart Institute.
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44%
reduction in COVID-19-related deaths with colchicine
The medical institute announced the findings on Friday and believe they have stumbled on a key resource that could be an essential tool in treating non-hospitalized patients — colchicine.
The oral tablet has reportedly been used for other diseases in the past too, per CTV.
According to researchers, the clinical trial to test the medicine showed encouraging results.
The trial found colchicine lowered the risk of death or hospitalization by 21% in those with COVID-19 compared to placebo.
Also, in patients who tested positive for COVID-19, the drug not only reduced hospitalizations by 25%, but also deaths by 44%, and the need for a ventilator by 50%.
"This major scientific discovery makes colchicine the world’s first oral drug that could be used to treat non-hospitalized patients with COVID-19," reads the report.
Cover photo used for illustrative purposes.