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Can a cheap gout drug slow ALS? trial puts colchicine to the test
NCT ID NCT07813858
First seen Sep 10, 2026 · Last updated Sep 11, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
Researchers are testing whether low-dose colchicine, an anti-inflammatory drug, can slow the decline in function caused by ALS. The trial enrolls 87 adults with ALS who already take riluzole, the standard treatment. Participants receive colchicine or a placebo for 30 weeks, then everyone receives colchicine for another 36 weeks. The main measure is how much the ALS Functional Rating Scale-Revised score changes over time.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- low-dose colchicine, an anti-inflammatory drug, added to standard riluzole therapy
- What this could lead to
- If it works, low-dose colchicine could become an add-on pill that helps slow ALS progression alongside riluzole.
- What could go wrong
- This is a mid-stage trial with 87 participants, so any benefit may be small or may not hold up in larger studies. Colchicine can cause stomach upset and, rarely, muscle or blood problems.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
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About 87 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Oct 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 80 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Patient age strictly between 18 and 80 years at the time of screening. * Definitively established diagnosis of ALS (sporadic or familial) matching standardized clinical consensus parameters. * Stable background regimen of European gold-standard Riluzole therapy maintained at a fixed dose of 100 mg/day for a minimum of 1 month prior to baseline randomization. * BMI\>17.5 Kg/m2 * Sufficient respiratory capability, verified by an upright Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) \>= 70% of predicted normal values at screening (highest value of three sequential tests). * Patient must display full cognitive and communicative capacity to provide written, personally signed Independent Ethics Committee-approved Informed Consent prior to initiation of any protocolized procedures. * Use of highly effective contraception both for males and females Exclusion Criteria: * Concurrent participation or treatment within any other interventional or drug-based clinical trial. * Clinically significant hepatic impairment (defined as baseline serum transaminases AST or ALT exceeding 3x Upper Limit of Normal \[ULN\], or total bilirubin exceeding 2x ULN). * Severe renal insufficiency, documented bone marrow suppression, or significant hematological abnormalities. * Known hypersensitivity or systemic intolerance to colchicine or any of the manufacturing excipients (lactose, sucrose, magnesium stearate, arabic gum). * Pregnancy, active lactation, or unwillingness of fertile male/female subjects to strictly comply with highly effective double-barrier contraception regimens throughout the study and for 100 days post-final dose.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
5 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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CENTRO SLA, AOU Maggiore Della Carità
Novara, Novara, 28100, Italy
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CENTRO SLA, AOU Università Degli Studi Della Campania Luigi Vanvitelli
Naples, Napoli, 80131, Italy
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CENTRO SLA, Fondazione Istituto Neurologico Nazionale Casimiro Mondino IRCCS
Pavia, Pavia, 27100, Italy
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CENTRO SLA, Ospedale Civile di Baggiovara, AOU Modena
Modena, Modena, 41126, Italy
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Centro Clinico Nemo
Milan, Milano, 20162, Italy
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