Colchicine, a long-used anti-inflammatory drug, lowers the risk of recurrent cardiovascular events but does not improve survival outcomes. These findings were presented at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress 2025 congress. 

Data was collected from a large meta-analysis of 11 randomized controlled trials including 30,753 patients with prior cardiovascular or cerebrovascular events. Compared with placebo or usual care, colchicine significantly reduced the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (6.2% vs. 7.2%; OR = 0.80, 95% CI 0.67–0.94).

Specific benefits included fewer myocardial infarctions (2.2% vs. 2.7%) and less unstable angina (3.1% vs. 4.0%). A trend toward stroke prevention was noted, though not statistically significant.
Despite these reductions, colchicine had no effect on cardiovascular or all-cause mortality. Gastrointestinal side effects were more common among colchicine users, but serious adverse events and non-cardiovascular deaths were comparable to controls.

The results suggest colchicine may help prevent recurrent ischemic events, though survival benefits remain unproven.