Ibuprofen ‘may help to prevent breathing difficulties’
A NEW trial has been launched to assess whether ibuprofen may hold the key to preventing severe breathing problems in Covid-19 patients.
Experts are assessing whether a special formulation of the cheap drug could help reduce the serious side effect seen among patients infected with the novel coronavirus.
It is hoped that the special formulation of the cheap anti-inflammatory drug, to be delivered at a certain point in illness among hospital patients, will reduce severe respiratory illness.
This could potentially lead to shorter hospital stays and fewer patients needing help in intensive care units (ICU).
Mitul Mehta, professor of neuroimaging and psychopharmacology and director of Centre for Innovative Therapeutics at Kings College London, told the PA news agency: “It’s a trial for patients with Covid-19 disease to see if giving them an anti-inflammatory drug – a specific form of ibuprofen – will reduce the respiratory problems they have.”
He stressed that the trial was for hospitalised patients – not those who have mild or suspected Covid-19.
Participants will be drawn from those who are hospitalised, but not so ill they are in need of intensive care.
“And if we can reduce their symptoms at that stage we have a number of benefits: we could reduce the amount of time that someone spends in hospital – they might recover quicker and go home, that’s obviously a fantastic outcome; we also might be reducing the degree of respiratory distress so that it can be managed in the hospital setting, without needing to go to ICU. And that is a fantastic outcome as well.
“Theoretically, this treatment, given at this time, should be beneficial.
“But of course, this is based on animal studies. It’s based on case reports, we need to do a trial to show that the evidence actually matches what we expect to happen.”
Prof Mehta said that animal studies into acute respiratory distress syndrome – a symptom of Covid-19 disease – shows that around 80 per cent of animals with this condition die.