[Therapeutic effectiveness of bonafton and rimantadine in influenza]

The therapeutic effectiveness of bonaphthone and rimantadine was studied by treatment of 439 patients with influenza between 18 and 21 years of age (bonaphthone 94, controls 105, rimantadine 120, controls 120). No therapeutic effectiveness of bonaphthone was established in the study. When rimantadine was given to the patients from the 1st day of the disease, shorter intervals of normalization of the temperature, disappearance of toxicity and catarrhal symptoms were observed than in patients treated with symptomatic drugs. During the period of rimantadine therapy the rate of findings the influenza antigen in smears from the nasal mucosa was lower, but after termination of the course of treatment the antigen was found twice as frequently as in the control group. With the positive therapeutic effect in patients treated with rimantadine, the diagnostic rise of antibody in this group was observed in a lower per cent of cases than in the control group (13 and 20%, respectively). The results of immunofluorescent and serological studies indicate a possible virus reproduction-inhibiting effect of rimantadine. This, however, requires further study. On the basis of the above observations rimantadine may be recommended for treatment of patients with influenza.