NSAID, WHO said?

There’s a lot of hysteria out there—over whether or not to take ibuprofen. Much was flamed by the widely-disseminated accidental fake news that the World Health Organization (WHO) officially discourages its use in the setting of an active COVID-19 infection, when really one spokesman spoke too soon. This was born out of the real publication describing the mechanism of cell entry for the novel coronavirus SARS-COV-2 that hinges on angiotensin-converting receptor 2 (ACE2). What drugs upregulate ACE2? Lots including ACE-inhibitors, ARBs, glitazones, and even, you guessed it, ibuprofen. Next came the provocative observation that diabetes and hypertension comorbidities were over-represented among initial fatalities of COVID-19, suggesting a possible link not with the chronic diseases but with their chronic treatments. TBL: There’s no hard clinical data that ACE2-promoting meds like ibuprofen worsen COVID-19 infections, but you might think twice before popping it if there are alternatives during this pandemic. | Wan, J Virol 2020 & Fang, Lancet Respir Med 2020