Jerusalem, Dec 17: A drug used by ancient Greeks to treat gout may have the potential to reduce the risk of death from COVID-19 by as much as 50 per cent, claims a new study.
The drug Colchicine is derived from the Colchicum family of plants, which was first used for its special healing properties by the ancient Greeks.
According to experts from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, it began to be widely used from about the first century AD as a treatment for gout and other inflammatory conditions, and is one of a few medicines that have survived into modern times, the Daily Mail reported.
To test the effect of the drug, the team conducted a review of four controlled studies, involving 6,000 coronavirus patients from Canada, Greece, Spain and Brazil. Each showed a "clear benefit" from its use.
The Israeli researchers found "significant improvement in severe coronavirus indices and, most importantly, there was a decrease in mortality by about 50 percent compared to those who were not treated with colchicine".