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\"PHOTO:
Brian Snyder/Reuters
PHOTO: Nurse Corazon Morales administers a test for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) to a patient at a drive-through testing site in a parking lot at the University of Washington's Northwest Outpatient Medical Center in Seattle, March 17, 2020.
>

Meanwhile, prior scientific studies seem to suggest other anti-inflammatory medications might actually be beneficial. One study found that indomethacin, a drug similar to ibuprofen, may help fight SARS-CoV, a closely related virus that caused SARS. However, this study was not performed in humans.

With these conflicting reports, the public is left wondering whether medicines perhaps stockpiled stockpiled at home are the correct ones.

Physicians, too, are now contemplating how to best counsel their patients. Many, like Dr. Daniel DeSimone, an infectious disease physician at Mayo Clinic, acknowledged that the data is too limited to be certain.

\"From my review, there is no solid evidence that ibuprofen can make coronavirus symptoms and/or outcomes worse. At this time, there is no reason to avoid ibuprofen for pain or fever in COVID-19 patients,\" he said. \"While Tylenol is typically used as a first-line agent, ibuprofen and other NSAIDS can be considered assuming they don't have an underlying contraindication such as renal disease. We will keep monitoring as more data comes in, so we will get a better grasp on the situation and deliver the best care possible to all our patients.\"

Dr. Simone Wildes, an infectious disease specialist at South Shore Hospital, echoed the need for additional studies.

\"The use of ibuprofen in COVID-19 infection is a common question being posed by clinicians and patients,\" Wildes told ABC News. \"More research is needed to study the effects of ibuprofen in patients with COVID-19 infection. We simply don't know the answer at this time. We need more data.\"

Other physicians, like Dr. Lalita Abhyankar, a family medicine physician at the Institute for Family Health, are taking a more cautious approach.

\"I've been advising people that given the international concerns, it's best to treat any fever with acetaminophen instead of ibuprofen at this time. Taking it for headache or other joint pain might still be OK, we're just not sure yet because of the minimal data.\"

Irrespective of its questionable impact on COVID-19, doctors have said patients with kidney disease and stomach ulcers should try to minimize their use of ibuprofen. It's also not recommended in infants young than 6 months. Patients who are concerned should consult with their physicians on whether ibuprofen use is right for them in the context of their non-COVID19-related medical issues.

DeSimone encouraged the public to brace for ongoing change as experts learn more about this new virus.

\"We have to realize that new information is coming in every day, and some things that we do today may be different tomorrow,\" DeSimone said.

Chloë E. Nunneley, M.D., a pediatric resident physician at Boston Children's Hospital and Boston Medical Center, and Vinayak Kumar, M.D., MBA, an internal medicine resident at Mayo Clinic, are contributors to the ABC News Medical Unit. Sony Salzman is the unit's coordinating producer.

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