Amantadine is an antiviral built from the molecule adamantane, a crystalline hydrocarbon that smells like camphor. It is approved for use against influenza in a number of countries, including the United States.

Amantadine is believed to interfere with viral proteins, making them less able to spread from cell to cell in their host. The mechanism also involves blocking ion channels in cells (the M2 ion channel). Amantadine is also used in Parkinson's Disease, where it blocks ion channels and the NMDA/glutamate neurotransmitters.

In the decade from 1994 to 2004, the percent of influenza viruses becoming resistant to the adamantanes group of antivirals rose from 0.4% to 12.3%. PMID:16198766 (cache)
(Rimantadine? is another antiviral in this category that is also derrived from the same source.)

Amantadine can have neurotoxic side effects in susceptible individuals, or in any one receiving too large a dose.

According to the Wikipedia article (cache) on Amantadine, billions of doses have been given to poultry on farms in China, which likely has the unintended consequence of selecting for avian flu viruses that are resistant to this drug.


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