ACC 2025 - Outcomes from colchicine in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) shows significant plaque volume progression compared to placebo at one year.

Dr Matthew Budoff (UCLA Medical Centre, Los Angeles, US) joins us onsite at ACC 2025 to discuss findings from the randomized, placebo-controlled, investigator-initiated EKSTROM trial (NCT06342609; Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center). EKSTROM aimed to investigate the effect of colchicine on the progression of known coronary atherosclerosis in patients with stable CAD. The primary outcome measure was the rate of change in low attenuation plaque volume.

Low attenuation plaque was not significantly reduced, however, colcicine significantly reduced total plaque volume progression by 1.1% compared to placebo at one year. Colcicine treatment demonstrated trends towards regression of non-calcified plaque, fibrous and fibro-fatty plaque and significantly slowed dense calcium progression.

Interview Questions:

1. What is the reasoning behind the EKSTROM trial?
2. What was the study design and patient population?
3. What were the key findings?
4. Were there any surprising or unexpected results?
5. What are the take-home messages for practice?
6. What are the next steps?

Recorded on-site at ACC in Chicago, 2025.

Editors: Yazmin Sadik, Jordan Rance
Videographers: Tom Green, David Ben-Harosh

Support: This is an independent interview produced by Radcliffe Cardiology.