Did study show majority of COVID-19 fatalities had Ibuprofen in their system? Fact Check

Warnings are circulating online that claim a recent study by a laboratory in Vienna concluded that the vast majority of people who died from the coronavirus COVID-19 disease had Ibuprofen in their system.

FALSE

TLDR; There is currently contradicting advice regarding the use of anti-inflammatory drugs such as Ibuprofen from health experts after French studies suggest the drug could aggravate the infection, while the UK’s NHS (among others) still recommends using the drug to treat symptoms. However many false posts are over-exaggerating the link between Ibuprofen and those that have died from the COVID-19 infection, including one message that quotes a non-existent study from a Vienna laboratory that claims the “vast majority” of COVID-19 fatalities had Ibuprofen in their system. This is false.

One such example of a message on social media quoting a study from a Vienna laboratory is below.

Information from Vienna’s laboratory studying COVID-19 and vast majority of people who died of it, had ibuprofen in their system so do not take it!! Those who recovered did not take ibuprofen so if you have symptoms, take Paracetamol only!! Looks like this virus thrives on ibuprofen so don’t do it and tell everyone you can!!!!

This message has been circulating online rapidly claiming “Vienna’s laboratory” has concluded that the majority of fatalities of COVID-19 had Ibuprofen in their system. Many variants of the claim (on WhatsApp in particular) assert the study was from the Medical University of Vienna.

However the Medical University of Vienna has dismissed the claims in a tweet, calling the study “fake news”. Translated –

Attention, the WhatsApp text and voice messages currently circulating around alleged research results of the “Wiener Uniklinik” on a connection between Ibuprofen and Covid19 are #FakeNews who have no connection with the #MedUniWien stand.

It is true that at the time of writing there has been much controversy over the use of drugs like Ibuprofen and Cortisone because they are anti-inflammatory drugs and can – in some cases – potentially dampen a person’s immune system so it may not be capable of fighting of the coronavirus and resulting COVID-19 disease as effectively.

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Such claims were boosted when the French Minister of Health, Olivier Veran, a qualified doctor, tweeted a warning to avoid using anti-inflammatory drugs. Translated –

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.

However such studies are still in the early stages, and at the time of writing the NHS (for example) still recommends the use of such drugs to help with symptoms.

Drink plenty of water and take everyday painkillers, such as paracetamol and ibuprofen, to help with your symptoms

Regardless of this controversy, claims that the majority of fatalities were found to have Ibuprofen in their systems is without evidence. The medical university attributed to the warning has denied issuing it. Currently, the major factors that determines the seriousness of the COVID-19 disease in a person is their underlying health conditions and age, not the type of painkillers they used.

If you’re prescribed anti-inflammatory drugs and you are concerned, the best advice currently is to consult with your doctor.