COLOR (hand osteoarthritis)
Trial question
What is the role of colchicine in adults with symptomatic hand osteoarthritis?
Study design
Single center
Double blinded
RCT
Population
Characteristics of study participants
69.0% female
31.0% male
N = 100
100 patients (69 female, 31 male).
Inclusion criteria: adult patients with symptomatic hand osteoarthritis and finger pain of at least 40 mm on a 100 mm VAS.
Key exclusion criteria: other known medical diseases that may affect joints; known cutaneous deposition diseases; known blood dyscrasias and coagulation disorders; known malignancy.
Interventions
N=50 colchicine (an oral dose of 0.5 mg BID for 12 weeks).
N=50 placebo (matching placebo tablet BID for 12 weeks).
Primary outcome
Reduction in finger pain at week 12
13.9 mm
13.5 mm
13.9 mm
10.4 mm
7.0 mm
3.5 mm
0.0 mm
Colchicine
Placebo
No significant
difference ↔
No significant difference in reduction in finger pain at week 12 (13.9 mm vs. 13.5 mm; AD 0.4 mm, 95% CI -6.7 to 7.6).
Safety outcomes
No significant difference in adverse and serious adverse events.
Conclusion
In adult patients with symptomatic hand osteoarthritis and finger pain of at least 40 mm on a 100 mm VAS, colchicine was not superior to placebo with respect to reduction in finger pain at week 12.
Reference
Anna Døssing, Marius Henriksen, Karen Ellegaard et al. Colchicine twice a day for hand osteoarthritis (COLOR): a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial. Lancet Rheumatol. 2023 May;5(5):e254-e262.
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