Ibuprofen to be tested as potential treatment for COVID-19 patients

Initially warned against coronavirus symptoms treatment by the WHO, Ibuprofen is now being tested as a potential treatment that could minimize breathing problems in COVID-19 patients, according to the health experts in London, UK. Doctors from the London’s Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, King’s College London, and the pharmaceutical organization the SEEK Group have collaborated to conduct trials of a unique formulation of lipid ibuprofen for treatment of coronavirus complication. 

“Liberate is a clinical trial exploring the use of an anti-inflammatory therapeutic drug Ibuprofen in reducing COVID-19 related respiratory failure (hypoxemia) in hospitalized patients. This respiratory decline, referred to as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), often results in the need for mechanical ventilation in severely ill SARS-CoV-2 (coronavirus) infected patients,” the team of health experts explained on the website (https://btd-health.com) dedicated to the study.

Further, according to the Guy’s and St Thomas’ Biomedical Research Centre's statement, these trials will be observed in a randomized study, with half of the recruited patients receiving standard care and the other half receiving the drug in addition to standard care. Additionally, the drug will be administered at a specific stage of the coronavirus, to the hospitalized patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19, the doctors said. 

As per the proprietary drug-research firm’s experts, the study will use liquid capsule form of ibuprofen called Flarin, the drug widely available in the UK, that the doctors believed could relieve lethal respiratory distress in coronavirus patients. The drug use, however, would not be administered on the intubated, more serious patients during the clinical trials, as per the reports.  

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Professor Matthew Hotopf, one of the health experts on the team from and Kings College London (KCL) was quoted saying, this is a highly innovative therapeutic approach that seeks to rapidly advance a potentially important new treatment. He added, if successful, the global public health value of this trial result could be immense, given the low cost and availability of this medicine.

The World Health Organisation and European Medicines Agency have highlighted that studies like this are vital in tackling this pandemic, Director of the NIHR Maudsley BRC, Hotopf, said in a statement released on the website.

Professor Steven Williams from Guy’s and St Thomas’ Biomedical Research Centre said, The C-FIT team have worked tirelessly to design and initiate this critical trial. We will now persevere with its implementation and delivery.

French Health Minister warned

Earlier, the French Health Minister Olivier Veran said at a press conference that patients with Covid-19 should avoid anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen as it could worsen symptoms, although, Europe’s top medicines regulator corrected him saying, there was no scientific evidence. 

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