The Colchicine in Moderate Asthma (CIMA) study examined if colchicine offered therapeutic benefit in the management of 71 patients with moderate asthma when corticosteroids were discontinued. The study was randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled with two parallel groups. A 2-week run-in with inhaled corticosteroid was followed by 2 weeks with inhaled corticosteroid and colchicine or placebo, and then by 6 weeks with no inhaled corticosteroid but with colchicine or placebo. There was a 6-week single-blind run-out. Outcome measures included treatment failure after cessation of inhaled corticosteroid, FEV1 change, PM to AM PEF difference index, airway responsiveness, asthma symptoms, quality of life measures, use of rescue medications, and episodes of adverse asthma control. The protocol was approved in April 1994. Recruitment ran from February 1996 through August 1996. Results have been published.