Amantadine: the journey from fighting flu to treating Parkinson disease

  • Neurology. 2012 Apr 3;78(14):1096-9. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0b013e31824e8f0d.
G Hubsher  1 ,  M Haider ,  M S Okun
Affiliations
  • 1. Department of Neurology, Center for Movement Disorders and Neurorestoration, Gainesville, FL, USA.
PMID: 22474298 DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0b013e31824e8f0d
Abstract

Objective: To explore how amantadine transitioned from an anti-flu drug to antiparkinsonian agent.

Methods: A review of the historical literature on the use of amantadine from 1966 to the present was performed.

Results: Amantadine was originally introduced and utilized as an Antiviral medication. A single patient noticed relief in her Parkinson disease (PD) symptoms after taking amantadine for a flu Infection, and this observation sparked an interest, and several important studies that eventually led to a new drug indication.

Conclusion: Amantadine has over the years fallen out of favor as a drug to address influenza infection; however, it has become part of the arsenal utilized for early symptomatic treatment of PD, as well an option for treating dyskinesia.

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