Ketoprofen Lysine Salt Versus Corticosteroids in Early Outpatient Management of Mild and Moderate COVID-19: A Retrospective Study

<i>Background:</i> Accelerating recovery and preventing the progression to more severe outcomes for patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is of paramount importance. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents (NSAIDs) have been widely adopted in the international recommendations...

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Main Authors: Domenica Francesca Mariniello, Raffaella Pagliaro, Vito D’Agnano, Angela Schiattarella, Fabio Perrotta, Andrea Bianco
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Pharmacy
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4787/13/3/65
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author Domenica Francesca Mariniello
Raffaella Pagliaro
Vito D’Agnano
Angela Schiattarella
Fabio Perrotta
Andrea Bianco
author_facet Domenica Francesca Mariniello
Raffaella Pagliaro
Vito D’Agnano
Angela Schiattarella
Fabio Perrotta
Andrea Bianco
author_sort Domenica Francesca Mariniello
collection DOAJ
description <i>Background:</i> Accelerating recovery and preventing the progression to more severe outcomes for patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is of paramount importance. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents (NSAIDs) have been widely adopted in the international recommendations for non-severe COVID-19 management. Among NSAIDs, evidence about the efficacy of ketoprofen lysin salt (KLS) in the treatment of non-severe COVID-19 has not been reported. <i>Methods:</i> This retrospective study compared the outcomes of 120 patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 treated at home with KLS between March 2021 and May 2023 compared with the outcomes of 165 patients who received corticosteroids. The outcomes included hospitalization, the need for oxygen supplementation, clinical recovery from acute COVID-19, and time to negative swabs. <i>Results:</i> Symptoms persisted in a lower percentage of patients in the KLS group compared to the corticosteroids group (<i>p</i> < 0.0001) and for a shorter period (<i>p</i> = 0.046). We found 6 patients (5%) in the KLS group were hospitalized compared to 45 (27%) in the corticosteroids group (<i>p</i> < 0.001). A higher percentage of patients in the corticosteroids group require oxygen administration (<i>p</i> < 0.001). In addition, patients taking corticosteroids showed a longer viral shedding period compared to those taking KLS (<i>p</i> = 0.004). A final multivariate analysis suggests that KLS might reduce hospitalization risk, the need for oxygen supplementation, and the persistence of post-COVID-19 symptoms when compared to an oral corticosteroid after adjusting for significant co-variables. <i>Conclusions:</i> KLS might have a positive effect on clinical recovery in non-severe COVID-19 patients. A comparison with other NSAIDs in terms of difference in efficacy and safety should be investigated in further trials.
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spelling doaj-art-bbc2620f2a78417b97b74831d214577a2025-08-20T03:16:35ZengMDPI AGPharmacy2226-47872025-05-011336510.3390/pharmacy13030065Ketoprofen Lysine Salt Versus Corticosteroids in Early Outpatient Management of Mild and Moderate COVID-19: A Retrospective StudyDomenica Francesca Mariniello0Raffaella Pagliaro1Vito D’Agnano2Angela Schiattarella3Fabio Perrotta4Andrea Bianco5Department of Translational Medical Sciences, University of Campania ‘L. Vanvitelli’, 80131 Naples, ItalyDepartment of Translational Medical Sciences, University of Campania ‘L. Vanvitelli’, 80131 Naples, ItalyDepartment of Translational Medical Sciences, University of Campania ‘L. Vanvitelli’, 80131 Naples, ItalyDepartment of Translational Medical Sciences, University of Campania ‘L. Vanvitelli’, 80131 Naples, ItalyDepartment of Translational Medical Sciences, University of Campania ‘L. Vanvitelli’, 80131 Naples, ItalyDepartment of Translational Medical Sciences, University of Campania ‘L. Vanvitelli’, 80131 Naples, Italy<i>Background:</i> Accelerating recovery and preventing the progression to more severe outcomes for patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is of paramount importance. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents (NSAIDs) have been widely adopted in the international recommendations for non-severe COVID-19 management. Among NSAIDs, evidence about the efficacy of ketoprofen lysin salt (KLS) in the treatment of non-severe COVID-19 has not been reported. <i>Methods:</i> This retrospective study compared the outcomes of 120 patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 treated at home with KLS between March 2021 and May 2023 compared with the outcomes of 165 patients who received corticosteroids. The outcomes included hospitalization, the need for oxygen supplementation, clinical recovery from acute COVID-19, and time to negative swabs. <i>Results:</i> Symptoms persisted in a lower percentage of patients in the KLS group compared to the corticosteroids group (<i>p</i> < 0.0001) and for a shorter period (<i>p</i> = 0.046). We found 6 patients (5%) in the KLS group were hospitalized compared to 45 (27%) in the corticosteroids group (<i>p</i> < 0.001). A higher percentage of patients in the corticosteroids group require oxygen administration (<i>p</i> < 0.001). In addition, patients taking corticosteroids showed a longer viral shedding period compared to those taking KLS (<i>p</i> = 0.004). A final multivariate analysis suggests that KLS might reduce hospitalization risk, the need for oxygen supplementation, and the persistence of post-COVID-19 symptoms when compared to an oral corticosteroid after adjusting for significant co-variables. <i>Conclusions:</i> KLS might have a positive effect on clinical recovery in non-severe COVID-19 patients. A comparison with other NSAIDs in terms of difference in efficacy and safety should be investigated in further trials.https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4787/13/3/65ketoprofen lysine saltNSAIDsCOVID-19SARS-CoV-2
spellingShingle Domenica Francesca Mariniello
Raffaella Pagliaro
Vito D’Agnano
Angela Schiattarella
Fabio Perrotta
Andrea Bianco
Ketoprofen Lysine Salt Versus Corticosteroids in Early Outpatient Management of Mild and Moderate COVID-19: A Retrospective Study
Pharmacy
ketoprofen lysine salt
NSAIDs
COVID-19
SARS-CoV-2
title Ketoprofen Lysine Salt Versus Corticosteroids in Early Outpatient Management of Mild and Moderate COVID-19: A Retrospective Study
title_full Ketoprofen Lysine Salt Versus Corticosteroids in Early Outpatient Management of Mild and Moderate COVID-19: A Retrospective Study
title_fullStr Ketoprofen Lysine Salt Versus Corticosteroids in Early Outpatient Management of Mild and Moderate COVID-19: A Retrospective Study
title_full_unstemmed Ketoprofen Lysine Salt Versus Corticosteroids in Early Outpatient Management of Mild and Moderate COVID-19: A Retrospective Study
title_short Ketoprofen Lysine Salt Versus Corticosteroids in Early Outpatient Management of Mild and Moderate COVID-19: A Retrospective Study
title_sort ketoprofen lysine salt versus corticosteroids in early outpatient management of mild and moderate covid 19 a retrospective study
topic ketoprofen lysine salt
NSAIDs
COVID-19
SARS-CoV-2
url https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4787/13/3/65
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