Does ibuprofen combined with paracetamol outperform either alone for acute pain?

Yes, the combination of ibuprofen and paracetamol provides superior analgesia compared to either agent alone for acute pain. A 2019 Cochrane review found that the combination achieves a number needed to treat of 1.5 for at least 50% pain relief over 6 hours. The combination is recommended as first-line for mild-to-moderate acute pain in most clinical guidelines.