Health Minister Olivier Veran, who has also worked as a neurologist, tweeted that "taking anti-inflammatory drugs (ibuprofen, cortisone...) could be an aggravating factor of the infection. If you have a fever, take paracetamol. If you are already on anti-inflammatory drugs or in doubt, ask your doctor for advice."
His suggestion was criticized by some health experts, who cited the lack of publicly available evidence suggesting a link between ibuprofen and adverse effects of the coronavirus.
The French government
reported that "grave adverse effects" linked to the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) -- the family of drugs that includes ibuprofen -- have "been identified with patients affected by COVID-19, in potential or confirmed cases."
"We repeat that the treatment of a fever or of pain linked to COVID-19 or to any other respiratory viral disease should be paracetamol," the ministry's new
guidelines added. Paracetamol is typically known in the US as acetaminophen.
