Amantadine
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Overview
Amantadine (1-aminoadamantane, sold as Symmetrel) is an antiviral drug used both as an antiviral and an antiparkinsonic.
Category
Antiviral
US Brand Names
Symadine®, Symmetrel®
FDA Package Insert
Description | Clinical Pharmacology | Indications and Usage | Contraindications | Warnings and Precautions | Adverse Reactions | Drug Interactions | Overdosage | Dosage and Administration | How Supplied | Labels and Packages
Mechanism of Action
Antiviral The mechanism by which amantadine exerts its antiviral activity is not clearly understood. It appears to mainly prevent the release of infectious viral nucleic acid into the host cell by interfering with the function of the transmembrane domain of the viral M2 protein. In certain cases, amantadine is also known to prevent virus assembly during virus replication. It does not appear to interfere with the immunogenicity of inactivated influenza A virus vaccine.