Analgesia and COVID‐19

Abstract

Dear editor, In their comprehensive review of immunomodulatory effects of opioids and analgesics, Abdel Shaheed et al. report research indicating that some NSAIDs demonstrate in vitro and in vivo anti-viral activity against SARS-CoV-2, focussing particularly on indomethacin. 1 They point out that ibuprofen has not shown such activity, citing the work of Chen et al. 2 However, more recent in vitro research in Caco-2 cells indicates that ibuprofen does indeed suppress SARS-CoV-2 viral load, 3 albeit only at higher concentrations than those tested by Chen at al. 2 Flurbiprofen has similar anti-viral activity at higher concentra-

Ibuprofen, other NSAIDs and COVID-19: a narrative review

“…These impressive levels of protection indicate that it is unlikely that the use of analgesics adversely affected vaccine efficacy. Although younger people were more likely to have used analgesics, the same high level of protection from immunisation was maintained (Laughey et al 2022 ). Analgesic and antipyretic medications have been used for many years to manage vaccine-associated side effects and in doing so, reduce vaccine hesitancy; clinical trials of licenced COVID-19 vaccines used in combination with these medications do not suggest an impact on vaccine efficacy in the short term (Folegatti et al 2020 ; Polack et al 2020 ; Sadoff et al 2021 ).…”