A study launched last March provided clinically convincing results for the effectiveness of colchicine in treating Covid-19, the Montreal Heart Institute (ICM) announced on its website on Saturday. This would make it the first oral drug in the world capable of treating patients in the pre-hospital phase.
> See our full article on the study and test carried out by a Belgian doctor
What does Yves Van Laethem, interfederal spokesperson for the fight against the coronavirus, the treatment with colchicine and the study conducted? Our journalist Salima Belabbas asked him precisely the question in RTL INFO 7pm this Saturday.
Salima Belabbas: What to think of this new hope for treatment?
Yves Van Laethem: If this is the case, and there is no reason to doubt it, this is the most important step we have taken in treating covid since the beginning. Because there is an important step which is cortisone, dexamethasone, which was implemented from the month of June, but only for patients who were very sick in intensive care. This is the first time that we have had a drug that is given outside the hospital, when people simply start to be sick, and which makes it possible to reduce their arrival at the hospital and the development of inflammatory phenomena. So this is an extremely important step in public health overall speaking, because the burden on hospitals could be considerably reduced.
Salima Belabbas: Can we imagine more use in the coming weeks?
Yves Van Laethem: I think that on this basis, it is indeed a drug that must be taken under prescription, that it should not be taken lightly, it must be taken in the right dose. It costs virtually nothing. He has been known for decades. It is a drug that could be generalized under prescription by the attending physician, who knows that his patient is at risk: he is obese for example, he is hypertensive, or he is over 65 years old, and who could prescribe it. It could clearly reduce the burden on the hospital network, in addition to saving lives. It is therefore a fundamental element.
COVID-19 Belgium: where is the epidemic this Saturday, January 23?
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