UK Researchers Test Ibuprofen Formulation as COVID-19 Treatment

Researchers in the UK are launching a clinical trial to test a unique formulation of ibuprofen for treatment of severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in COVID-19 patients.

Laboratory-based experiments have shown the formulation, called Flarin, to be more effective than standard ibuprofen for treating the syndrome.

The London study will recruit approximately 230 hospitalized COVID-19 patients who will either receive the standard of care or ibuprofen in addition to standard of care.

The trial is being conducted in collaboration with London’s Guy’s & St. Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, King’s College London and the Melbourne, Australia-based pharmaceutical organization the SEEK Group.

In response to reports in March that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSIADs) like ibuprofen could potentially aggravate COVID-19 symptoms, the FDA said it was not aware of evidence that NSAIDs could worsen COVID-19.

The European Medicines Agency and UK’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) also said in March that there is no evidence that NSAIDs could worsen COVID-19. MHRA, however, advised COVID-19 patients to take paracetamol (sold as Tylenol in the U.S.) while it looked into the matter (DID, March 26). — Jordan Williams