Amantadine and Rimantadine Resistance Very High

Amantadine and rimantadine are anti-viral drugs in the “adamantane” class, commonly used to treat and prevent influenza A. Viral resistance to adamantanes is now alarmingly high, according to a report published on February 2 in the in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) online.

Researchers Rick A Bright, PhD, and colleagues from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta analyzed influenza samples from people in 26 US states, the study found that 92% of them were resistant to amantadine.

They concluded that amantadine should not be used to treat or prevent influenza A for the remainder of the 2005-2006 flu season and recommended ongoing surveillance of influenza viruses for drug-resistance.

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