The famous drug colchicine, commonly prescribed for gout, can significantly reduce the risk of stroke and heart attack in people with cardiovascular diseases. Nikolay Pispalov, a pharmaceutical market expert and drug development director at RNC, told the 'Moscow Evening' newspaper about the drug's properties, which have proven effective in reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Pispalov confirmed that the drug's effect on the course of cardiovascular diseases is interesting in itself and should definitely be used for therapeutic and research purposes to create more selective drugs that will not be mutagenic. 'However, it is important to understand that you should definitely not rush to the pharmacy to buy this drug and use it for preventive purposes, because it is simply dangerous,' Pispalov warns. This effect is achieved through colchicine's anti-inflammatory action: it prevents the production of white blood cells and neutrophils, affecting the development of inflammatory reactions. However, a medical source pointed out that colchicine is an extremely unsafe drug and one of the oldest substances tested in medicine. Pispalov also stated: 'This substance has significantly influenced genetics, it is a traditional mutagen, and it has been used in many experimental and practical studies in the field of plant breeding.' Colchicine interferes with cell division and has a wide range of severe side effects, such as leukopenia, thrombocytosis, alopecia, and acute necrosis of skeletal muscles.
