Washington
The World Health Organisation said on Wednesday that, based on the currently available information, it has not issued any recommendation against the use of ibuprofen.
Several news outlets had reported on Tuesday that the WHO advised that people suffering from coronavirus-like symptoms should avoid self-medicating with ibuprofen.
WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier told reporters in Geneva that the UN health agency’s experts were “looking into this to give further guidance.”
But in a recent Twitter post that left many on tenterhooks, the global health watchdog said that it does not recommend against the usage of the drug, adding that it was consulting physicians treating coronavirus the patients. “WHO is aware of concerns on the use of #ibuprofen for the treatment of fever for people with #COVID19.
We are consulting with physicians treating the patients & are not aware of reports of any negative effects, beyond the usual ones that limit its use in certain populations,” said the organization.
The WHO’s earlier warning came after a recent study in The Lancet weekly medical journal hypothesised that an enzyme that is boosted when taking anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen could facilitate and worsen COVID-19 infections.
“In the meantime, we recommend using paracetamol and do not use ibuprofen as a self-medication. That’s important,” the WHO spokesman had said.—AFP
