Colchicine
ColcrysPubChem CID 6167 · 3D model
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Calms gout inflammation by jamming the internal machinery immune cells use to move and react, without touching uric acid levels at all.
How it works
Colchicine works by getting inside a building block of the cell's internal skeleton, called tubulin, and stopping it from assembling into the scaffolding cells need to move. Immune cells called neutrophils rely on this scaffolding to rush toward and react to uric acid crystals in a joint, so blocking it calms the inflammation and pain of a gout flare. Colchicine does not lower the amount of uric acid in the body — it only blocks the inflammatory response to it, a common misconception about how it works.
What it’s used for
Colchicine is approved to prevent and treat sudden gout flare-ups, and to manage Familial Mediterranean Fever, an inherited condition that causes recurring fevers and inflammation. In 2023, a low-dose version called Lodoco was also approved to lower the risk of heart attack and stroke in people with existing heart disease.
- Mechanism
- Tubulin-binding microtubule inhibitor
- Drug class
- Small molecule
- Therapeutic area
- Anti-gout / Anti-inflammatory