It is hoped "a specific form" of the anti-inflammatory drug can prevent severe breathing problems and mean less time in hospital.
Scientists in London are running tests to find out whether common painkiller and anti-inflammatory medicine Ibuprofen can help to treat Covid-19 positive patients and steer them away from fatal respiratory failure and the need for ventilators, news agency Bloomberg reported.
Previous studies on animals have suggested that ibuprofen may be effective in treating acute respiratory distress syndrome – a condition seen in patients with serious Covid-19 symptoms.
A team of researchers from London’s Guy’s Hospital, St Thomas’ Hospital and King’s College are running a trial to see whether the painkiller and anti-inflammatory medicine Ibuprofen can be used to treat coronavirus patients. With around 180 countries across the world grappling with the Covid-19 pandemic amid escalating deaths, scientists and researchers are hoping that the low-cost treatment will reduce the burden on hospitals and medical facilities by keeping patients off ventilators.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended people consult a doctor before self-medicating ibuprofen for Covid-19 symptoms.
WHO said it has reviewed available research and is "not aware of published clinical or population-based data" on the use of ibuprofen in coronavirus patients.
"We are consulting with physicians treating COVID-19 patients and are not aware of reports of any negative effects of ibuprofen, beyond the usual…
The trial - named Liberate - was using 200mg of a special formulation of the popular over-the-counter drug called lipid ibuprofen. The drug was already used to treat medical issues such as arthritis.
It involved 230 participants, half of which would receive the medication while the other half would receive standard Covid-19 care.
Half of the 230 patients participating in the trial were given a special formulation of Ibuprofen — distinct from the over-the-counter drug available at most pharmacies, according to the BBC report. The other half will receive standard care, which includes continuously being given oxygen.
Professor Mitul Mehta has stressed that only hospitalised patients would be involved in the trial - to see if the drug will "reduce the respiratory problems they have", and not those who are so ill that they need to be in intensive care.
If successful, there would be a "number of benefits".
He said: "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.
Our search did not identify any strong evidence for or against the use of ibuprofen for treatment of COVID-19 specifically,” the study reads. “The current literature does not give conclusive evidence for or against the use of NSAIDs in the treatment of COVID-19 patients.”
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.
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.
Professor Matthew Hotopf, director of the NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre, said: "This highly innovative therapeutic approach seeks to rapidly advance a potentially important new treatment.
"If successful, the global public health value of this trial result would be immense given the low cost and availability of this medicine."
The treatment will not be available to the wider public.
The trial will use a liquid capsule form of ibuprofen rather than the tablets that people can buy in supermarkets and chemists.
Trial launched in the UK to test whether ibuprofen can help with breathing difficulties in Covid-19 patients.
The trial will use a liquid capsule form of ibuprofen rather than the tablets that people can get for themselves in local pharmacies and supermarkets.
The government have said that the treatment will not be available to the wider public.
French politicians have also countered these claims in London by saying that ibuprofen worsens coronavirus symptoms.
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