In a statement, the National Authority for Medicines and Health Products (Infarmed) reaffirms what the Director-General for Health, Graça Freitas, said on Sunday and underlines: "there is no reason for patients who are being treated with these drugs [ibuprofen or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs]to stop it ".

Infarmed says that the possible exacerbation of infections, in general, and taking ibuprofen is being evaluated in the European Union, in the Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), and should be completed in May.

"It is hoped that this analysis, which is expected to be completed in May 2020, will clarify whether there is an association between taking ibuprofen and exacerbating infections. Since ibuprofen is used to treat the initial symptoms of infections, it will be extremely complex to determine this relationship ", explains the note.

Thus, adds Infarmed, "there is no reason for patients who are on treatment with these drugs to stop it".

The National Medicines Authority also recalls that symptomatic treatment of fever "must be carried out using paracetamol as the first alternative", but stresses that "there is no evidence to contraindicate the use of ibuprofen".

"Both drugs should be used based on the information contained in the Summary of Product Characteristics and Package Leaflet", he adds.

Infarmed advises patients to always respect the advice of their medical assistants in the rational use of prescribed drugs.

This Infarmed note came after the French Minister of Health, Olivier Véran, in a social media post over the weekend, advised against taking anti-inflammatory drugs such as Brufen, as they could aggravate the infection of patients infected with the new coronavirus, which causes Covid-19 disease.