Today we know the first results of clinical trials conducted on the effectiveness of amantadine and its use in the treatment of covid patients. Does Amantadine Really Treat COVID?
Amantadine was once used as an effective preparation in the treatment of influenza, but nowadays its use is different. It is used as a neurological drug, e.g. in the treatment of multiple sclerosis or Parkinson's disease. During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, it became famous thanks to doctors who used it to treat patients infected with coronavirus.
The Ministry of He alth on December 8, 2022 introduced restrictions on the use of amantadine beyond medical indications. You cannot purchase more than three packs of 50 capsules for 30 days.
Research commissioned by the Ministry of He alth shows that amantadine has no effect on the course of COVID-19 in moderately or severely ill patients. According to the president of Agencja Badań Medycznych Radosław Sierpiński, the presented results of scientific analyzes interrupt the “discussion about the treatment of patients with it in hospitals”.
Clinical trials included 149 patients, 78 of whom were treated with amantadine and the rest with placebo. Each participant was moderately or severely ill with COVID and treated in hospital. Research on amantadine in Poland began in April 2022 and was conducted by two institutions - the Independent Public Clinical Hospital No. 4 in Lublin and the Upper Silesian Medical Center. prof. Leszek Giec in Katowice.
Prof. Adam Barczyk from the Upper Silesian Medical Center provided the first results of the analyzes, which, as he emphasizes, "clearly indicate that there are no differences between patients taking placebo and patients taking amantadine." Therefore, it was decided to discontinue further recruitment to another study, although research analyzes in Lublin are still ongoing, but they concern a different outpatient population.
Deputy Minister of He alth Maciej Miłkowski noted that amantadine is not and has never been recommended in the course of COVID-19 by any scientific societies. He also announced that the Ministry of He alth will soon inform about the results of other studies on amantadine. - As of today (…) there are no recommendations that this drug is in any way more effective than placebo - he concludedMiłkowski.
- This is an important social topic and, following the order of the Minister of He alth, also as the Medical Research Agency, we prepared an appropriate clinical trial as soon as possible. We fulfilled the social role of addressing these doubts, showing what it really is - said Sierpiński.