Ibuprofen doesn’t worsen COVID-19 symptoms – study

PARIS (AFP) – Taking antiinflammatory drugs like ibuprofen does not increase the risk of developing a severe form of COVID-19 or of dying from it, according to a new study, the largest so far on this class of medicines.

At the start of the coronavirus pandemic, there was concern over the potential effects of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which are used to treat everything from minor pain to chronic arthritis and cardiovascular disease.

Observational research published over the weekend in the medical journal Lancet Rheumatology, based on 72,000 hospitalized patients, found that the drugs “do not increase the mortality or severity” of COVID-19.

The authors recommended that doctors continue to prescribe NSAIDs as they have had in the past.

“When the pandemic began over a year ago, we needed to be sure that these common medications would not lead to worse outcomes in people with COVID-19,” lead author Ewen Harrison, a professor at the University of Edinburgh, said in a press release.

“We now have clear evidence that NSAIDs are safe to use in patients with COVID-19, which should provide reassurance to both clinicians and patients that they can continue to be used in the same way as before the pandemic began.”

The NSAID family of anti-inflammatory drugs includes those widely used by the general public, like ibuprofen – an active substance in common drugs, such as Nurofen or Advil – or ketoprofen.