Sunday, 8 April 2012

Amantadine: The journey from fighting flu to treating Parkinson disease.


Neurology. 2012 Apr 3;78(14):1096-9.
Hubsher G, Haider M, Okun MS.

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.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Mild Parkinsonian Signs in a Community Population

One question that many of the PREDICT-PD participants ask me is “I am slower than I used to be, does it mean that I am getting Parkinson’...