POTENTIAL AGENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF INFLUENZA

Treatment of influenza A and B remains an important objective of clinicians interested in influenza and in effective antivirals. The mainstay of control of influenza is annual inactivated influenza vaccine, but additional measures for control of influenza are required. A significant segment of the population still does not receive the influenza vaccine, and some who receive the vaccine still become ill. Other measures of control are therefore required. Amantadine and rimantadine have undergone investigation as potential prophylactic or therapeutic agents for influenza. Putting aside the question of whether prophylaxis against influenza is feasible and limiting consideration to therapy for influenza, both amantadine and rimantadine have proven effective in treating ambulatory patients with influenza. Amantadine and rimantadine do, however, have limitations. The central nervous system toxicity associated with amantadine has prevented the drug from gaining acceptance. Furthermore, neither amantadine nor rimantadine have activity against influenza B. When used against influenza A, resistance develops to both compounds quite rapidly, a factor that has been of concern. Finally, neither of these antiviral agents have been tested in severely ill patients, so their beneficial effect in that setting is unknown. Thus, ongoing interest continues to focus on other compounds to treat influenza. This review discusses some of these agents.