The warning came after French health officials warned that anti-inflammatory drugs could worsen effects of the virus.

Commenting on a recent study in The Lancet medical journal, French Health Minister Olivier Veran said it was hypothesised that an enzyme boosted by anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen could facilitate and worsen COVID-19 infections.

WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier told reporters in Geneva the UN health agency’s experts were “looking into this to give further guidance.”

He added “In the meantime, we recommend using rather paracetamol, and do not use ibuprofen as a self-medication. That’s important.If ibuprofen had been prescribed by the healthcare professionals, then, of course, that’s up to them.”

France’s health minister Olivier Véran confirmed this in an interview with French news channel BFMTV on Monday evening.

The minister is believed to have contracted the virus at the country’s lower house National Assembly, where five cases have been confirmed in recent days.