A 10-Cent Pill Could Save Millions of Heart Patients

Doctors have found a surprising ally in the fight against heart disease: a drug that costs only about 10 cents a pill. The drug, called colchicine, has been used for centuries to treat gout, a painful joint condition. Now, a large new study shows it can also help protect the heart. Researchers found that patients who took colchicine had 25 percent fewer hospital visits linked to heart problems.

Heart disease often gets worse because of inflammation, a natural response that helps the body heal but can also damage blood vessels over time. Colchicine works by calming this inflammation. In the study, thousands of patients with heart disease took a small daily dose of the drug for several years. Compared with those who did not, they had fewer heart attacks, strokes, and emergency hospital stays.

What makes this discovery exciting is the drug's low cost. Many modern heart medications are expensive and hard to get in poorer countries. Colchicine, however, is already approved and widely available. Doctors say it could soon become a standard treatment added to other heart medicines. Health experts hope the drug can save both lives and money, especially in places where costly treatments are out of reach.