Skip to main content
Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy logoLink to Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy
. 1984 Jul;26(1):101–103. doi: 10.1128/aac.26.1.101

Safety of prolonged administration of rimantadine hydrochloride in the prophylaxis of influenza A virus infections in nursing homes.

P A Patriarca, N A Kater, A P Kendal, D J Bregman, J D Smith, R K Sikes
PMCID: PMC179927  PMID: 6476812

Abstract

We evaluated the safety of rimantadine hydrochloride (RH) prophylaxis in a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in three nursing homes during a community epidemic of influenza A (H3N2). Although daily monitoring of the 35 participants revealed an association between RH administration (100 mg twice a day) and the development of nausea and anxiety (P less than 0.05), these and other potential side effects were transient and were rarely considered to be clinically significant. Serum RH levels measured at the end of the trial (mean, 1,159 ng/ml) were nearly three times higher than those measured previously in younger individuals, suggesting that lower dosages may be indicated for the elderly.

Full text

PDF
101

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Alling D. W., Blackwelder W. C., Stuart-Harris C. H. A study of excess mortality during influenza epidemics in the United States, 1968-1976. Am J Epidemiol. 1981 Jan;113(1):30–43. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a113063. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Dolin R., Reichman R. C., Madore H. P., Maynard R., Linton P. N., Webber-Jones J. A controlled trial of amantadine and rimantadine in the prophylaxis of influenza A infection. N Engl J Med. 1982 Sep 2;307(10):580–584. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198209023071002. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. EICKHOFF T. C., SHERMAN I. L., SERFLING R. E. Observations on excess mortality associated with epidemic influenza. JAMA. 1961 Jun 3;176:776–782. doi: 10.1001/jama.1961.03040220024005. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Hayden F. G., Gwaltney J. M., Jr, Van de Castle R. L., Adams K. F., Giordani B. Comparative toxicity of amantadine hydrochloride and rimantadine hydrochloride in healthy adults. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1981 Feb;19(2):226–233. doi: 10.1128/aac.19.2.226. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Hayden F. G., Hoffman H. E., Spyker D. A. Differences in side effects of amantadine hydrochloride and rimantadine hydrochloride relate to differences in pharmacokinetics. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1983 Mar;23(3):458–464. doi: 10.1128/aac.23.3.458. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Housworth J., Langmuir A. D. Excess mortality from epidemic influenza, 1957-1966. Am J Epidemiol. 1974 Jul;100(1):40–48. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a112007. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Quarles J. M., Couch R. B., Cate T. R., Goswick C. B. Comparison of amantadine and rimantadine for prevention of type A (Russian) influenza. Antiviral Res. 1981 Sep;1(3):149–155. doi: 10.1016/0166-3542(81)90003-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Van Voris L. P., Betts R. F., Hayden F. G., Christmas W. A., Douglas R. G., Jr Successful treatment of naturally occurring influenza A/USSR/77 H1N1. JAMA. 1981 Mar 20;245(11):1128–1131. doi: 10.1001/jama.245.11.1128. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES