Ibuprofen Or Paracetamol? Scientists And Doctors Told What Is Better To Take With COVID-19

Ibuprofen or paracetamol? Scientists and doctors told what is better to take with COVID-19

The influential medical journal The BMJ has collected and published opinions from doctors and scientists on whether the popular anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen can be taken to treat COVID-19.

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The influential medical journal The BMJ has collected and published opinions from doctors and scientists on whether the popular anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen can be taken to treat COVID-19.

Update 2020-19-03

The World Health Organization has said it does not support phasing out ibuprofen for COVID-19. Read more about the WHO position here.

A new discussion about this drug has begun in France. Health Minister Olivier Veran posted a tweet on March 14 in which he urged patients with suspected COVID-19 not to take anti-inflammatory drugs (including ibuprofen), as they can provoke an increase in the disease. According to him, in such cases, it is better to take paracetamol.

His comment was preceded by a small incident in a hospital in southwestern France. The infectious disease doctor said that four patients without concomitant pathology had a sharp deterioration in their condition with COVID-19 after the appointment of anti-inflammatory drugs. The hospital in which she worked has issued a statement that it is incorrect to draw conclusions based on such a small number of cases.

The discussion was joined by Professor Jean-Louis Montastruc, a clinical pharmacologist at the Central University Hospital of Toulouse. He recalled that such a harmful effect of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs is not a surprise. In 2019, the French National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products advised healthcare providers not to treat fever and infections with ibuprofen.

This idea was supported by British experts. Paul Little, a professor at the University of Southampton, said there is qualitative evidence that "increased duration of illness and complications of respiratory infections may develop more frequently after the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs." He noted that there may be complications from the cardiovascular system. Scientific evidence today shows paracetamol is safer.

Professor Ian Jones of the University of Reading said the anti-inflammatory effects of ibuprofen are associated with suppressing the immune system, which can slow down the healing process.

He added that based on information about another coronavirus, the causative agent of SARS, it can be assumed that COVID-19 may reduce the activity of an enzyme that is involved in regulating the amount of water and salt in the body. Ibuprofen can enhance this negative effect, but paracetamol does not.

Professor Charlotte Warren-Gash, an epidemiologist at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said:

“Research is needed on how non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs work in COVID-19 patients who have various comorbidities. Now, paracetamol should be the first choice to treat symptoms such as fever and sore throat.”

Rupert Beale, an infectious disease specialist at the Francis Crick Institute, recalled that another group of anti-inflammatory drugs, corticosteroids, are also dangerous. But he emphasized that patients who are taking cortisone or other steroids should not stop drinking them unless told to do so by their doctor.