Coronavirus: Painkiller Ibuprofen tested as a treatment

Ibuprofen- a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug that will be tested as a possible treatment to reduce coronavirus symptoms. it is hoped that it may hold the key to prevent severe breathing problems in patients of coronavirus.

The team from London’s Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospital and king’s college believe the Ibuprofen, which is anti-inflammatory as well as a painkiller, could treat breathing difficulties.

Ibuprofen is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug class that is used for treating pain, fever, and inflammation. This includes painful menstrual periods, migraines, and rheumatoid arthritis.

As the world struggles to contain the impact of the global pandemic, scientists hope that the low-cost treatment will reduce the burden on hospitals by keeping patients off ventilators.

The trial, called liberate, was launched after studies conducted on animals suggested that the medication could treat acute respiratory distress syndrome- one of the complications associated with COVID-19.

Professor Mitul Mehta has stressed that only hospitalized patients would be involved in the trial.so that it will be easy to see if the drug will reduce the respiratory problems they have or not. but it won’t be done to those patients who are so critically ill that they need to be in intensive care support (ICU).

At the onset of the pandemic in the united kingdom, health experts had raised concerns over whether the anti-inflammatory should be used by people showing mild symptoms, following, this the UK’s National health service (NHS) in march withdrew the advisory they had issued on their website for the use of ibuprofen by people suffering from mild cases of COVID 19.

These were formidable when France’s health minister Oliver veran said that taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen could aggravate the infection. So, they advised patients to take paracetamol instead.

But a review by the commission on human medicines quickly concluded that like paracetamol it was safe to take for coronavirus symptoms. Both drugs can bring a temperature down and help with flu-like symptoms.

For mild COVID-19 symptoms, the NHS advises the patient to try paracetamol first, as it has lesser side effects than ibuprofen and is the safer choice for most people. ibuprofen should be not taken if one has a stomach ulcer, for example.

With over 279,392 COVID-19 cases and 39,452 registered deaths, the UK is one of the worst-hit countries in the world. Lockdown restrictions, imposed by prime minister Boris Johnson in March, are now gradually being relaxed.