Health Official Warns Against Use of Anti-Inflammatory Drugs to Tackle Coronavirus

France’s health minister on Saturday said people should not use anti-inflammatory drugs if they have coronavirus-like symptoms because it could worsen their condition.

“Taking anti-inflammatory drugs (ibuprofen, cortisone…) could be an aggravating factor for the infection. If you have a fever, take paracetamol,” Oliver Veran said on Twitter. Paracetamol is known as acetaminophen or Tylenol in the U.S.

According to health officials, anti-inflammatory drugs are a known risk for people with infectious illnesses because they can decrease the response of the body’s immune system, the Guardian reported.

Officials are recommending that people should take paracetamol instead because “it will reduce the fever without counterattacking the inflammation.”