Abstract Background The safety of non-steroids anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in the context of pharyngitis is doubtful with contradictory results in the literature. Objective To evaluate the risk of peritonsillar abscess (PTA) associated to NSAIDs consumption during a pharyngitis episode observed in primary care. Method A retrospective cohort study using Observatory of General Medicine Datalink from 1995 to 2010. All patients consulting a GP from the Datalink network for pharyngitis have been included. The occurrence of a PTA in the 15 days following the consultation for pharyngitis was matched. The association between PTA and prescriptions of NSAIDs was studied via an adjusted logistic regression model. Results During the study period, 105 802 cases of pharyngitis and 48 cases of PTA following a pharyngitis were reported, concerning respectively 67 765 and 47 patients. In the multivariate analysis, the risk of PTA was associated positively with a NSAIDs prescription (OR = 2.9, 95% CI = 1.6\textendash 5.2). Other factors associated with PTA occurrence were the prescription of corticosteroids (OR = 3.1, 95% CI = 1.3\textendash 7.6) and an age between 20 and 40 years (OR = 5.7, 95% CI = 2.5\textendash 13.0). The prescription of antibiotics was not significantly associated with PTA (P = 0.7). Conclusion Prescription of NSAIDs in pharyngitis may increase the risk of PTA. This study encourages considering cautiously the balance between benefits and harms before prescription of NSAIDs for pharyngitis.