Grant: Project Grant

Coronary artery disease occurs when blockages of the arteries of the heart develop. This is one of the leading causes of death in Canada. The cause of heart attacks is thought to be due to plaques in the coronary arteries that become unstable, form blood clot and block off an artery. There has been promising data showing that Colchicine may be beneficial in patients with coronary artery disease specifically those with a heart attack. Colchicine is a low cost drug that has been used to treat patients with other conditions including gout for hundreds of years. We are testing whether Colchicine can improve outcomes in patients with a heart attack. In addition, we are testing another medication, Spironolactone. This medication has been shown to save lives in a related condition in heart failure and may reduce the size of a heart attack. This trial will enroll 7000 patients and will use the highest rigor (randomized trial) to determine if these therapies are beneficial. This trial has the potential to develop two important new low cost therapies for the treatment of heart disease and could save many lives.