LONDON: Scientists are running a trial to determine if common painkiller ibuprofen can help hospital patients who are affected with coronavirus.
A team from London’s Guy’s and St Thomas hospital and King’s College believe the drug, which is an anti-inflammatory as well as a painkiller, could treat breathing difficulties.
They hope the low-cost treatment can keep patients off ventilators. The team is conducting a trial called Liberate, during which half of the patients will receive ibuprofen in addition to usual care.
The trial will use a special formulation of ibuprofen rather than the regular tablets that people might usually buy. Some patients take this lipid capsule form of the drug for conditions like arthritis.
Several studies in animals suggest it might treat acute respiratory distress syndrome – one of the complications of severe coronavirus.
Prof Mitul Mehta, one of the team’s member at King’s College London, told British media they need to conduct a trial to show that the evidence actually matches what they expect to happen.”
There were some concerns earlier on during the pandemic that ibuprofen might be harmful for patients to take if they have the virus with mild symptoms.
These were heightened when France’s health minister Oliver Veran said that taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen, could aggravate the infection and advised patients to take paracetamol instead.
A review by the Commission on Human Medicines, a committee of the UK’s medicine regulatory agency, quickly concluded that, like paracetamol, it was safe to take for coronavirus symptoms.
Both can bring a temperature down and help with flu-like symptoms. For mild coronavirus symptoms, the NHS in the UK advises people try paracetamol first, as it has fewer side effects than ibuprofen and is the safer choice for most people.
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