Amantadine

Amantadine, sold under the brand name Symmetrel, is an synthetic antiviral drug used both as an antiviral and an antiparkinsonic and is used to treat parkinsonian side effects that include tremors, difficulty walking, and slack muscle tone.

In October 1966, it was approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

Amantadine, which is approved only for use in humans under international livestock regulations, is reported to have been used in China poultry farming in an effort to protect the birds against avian influenza.

Experts fear drugs may become quickly useless to fight an unusually severe flu season or the emergence of a new strain of flu that may cause a pandemic.

The World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been collecting samples of the annual flu viruses to check them against the four available flu drugs: amantadine and rimantadine, and the newer drugs Tamiflu and Relenza.

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