Grant: Project Grant

In Canada, someone dies from heart disease or stroke every 7 minutes. Research has shown that inflammation plays an important role in the development and progression of heart disease. Colchicine is a simple, inexpensive and potent anti-inflammatory drug that has been shown to provide benefits to patients with gout and other inflammatory diseases. Early data suggest that colchicine might also reduce the risk of cardiovascular events (like heart attacks) in patients with coronary artery disease. Patients having recently suffered a heart attack are at a very high risk of future cardiovascular events. The primary goal of this study is to determine whether colchicine, when given to patients who have recently had a heart attack, will decrease the risk of a future heart attack, stroke, or death. All patients included in the study will be treated with the best treatments currently available, and then in addition half of them will be treated with colchicine and the other half will receive placebo. Patients will be treated for an average of 3 years. This study represents an outstanding opportunity for Canada to lead the development of colchicine for the prevention of cardiovascular disease and to delineate the role of an anti-inflammatory medication to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease in our societies.