Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37584095›Full record

Trial reportEuropean journal of neurology2024

Amantadine in unvaccinated patients with early, mild to moderate COVID-19: A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial.

Konrad Rejdak, Piotr Fiedor, Robert Bonek, Jacek Łukasiak, Waldemar Chełstowski, Sławomir Kiciak, Piotr Dąbrowski, Agnieszka Gala-Błądzińska, Mateusz Dec, Ewa Papuć and 4 more

Open access · greenAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in European journal of neurology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
1.0field-weighted citation impact, top 22% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Trial
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Antivirals in COVID-19: A Focus on Pediatric Cardiac Patients.The Canadian journal of infectious diseases & medical microbiology = Journal canadien des maladies infectieuses et de la microbiologie medicale · 2025
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors at 8 institutions in 3 countries.

Konrad RejdakDepartment of Neurology, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland.ORCID 0000-0002-7019-6681
Piotr FiedorDepartment of General and Transplantation Surgery, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.
Robert BonekDepartment of Neurology and Clinical Neuroimmunology, Regional Specialist Hospital, Grudziadz, Poland.
Jacek ŁukasiakRegional Hospital SPZZOZ in Wyszkόw, Wyszkόw, Poland.
Waldemar ChełstowskiRegional Hospital SPZZOZ in Wyszkόw, Wyszkόw, Poland.
Sławomir KiciakIndependent Voivodeship Hospital "Jana Bożego" in Lublin, Lublin, Poland.
Piotr DąbrowskiIndependent Voivodeship Hospital "Jana Bożego" in Lublin, Lublin, Poland.
Agnieszka Gala-BłądzińskaCollegium Medicum, University of Rzeszów and St. Queen Jadwiga Clinical District Hospital No. 2, Rzeszów, Poland.
Mateusz DecSPZOZ Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, Poland.
Ewa PapućDepartment of Neurology, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland.
Adriana ZasybskaDepartment of Neurology, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland.
Marcin KaczorJagiellonian University Medical College, Kraków, Poland.
Paweł GriebDepartment of Experimental Pharmacology, Mossakowski Medical Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland.
COV-PREVENT Study Group
Medical University of Lublin · PL1 Military Clinical Hospital with Outpatient Clinic · PLApple (Israel) · ILInstitute of Neuroimmunology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences · SKJagiellonian University · PLMedical University of Warsaw · PLMossakowski Medical Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences · PLUniversity of Rzeszów · PL

Funding

Agencja Badań Medycznych
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

background and purposeAdamantanes were listed as an interesting option as an early intervention against COVID-19. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of amantadine in preventing the progression of COVID-19 and its neurological sequelae.

methodsUnvaccinated patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection within 5 days were enrolled. Subjects were randomized (50:50) to amantadine (AMD; 100 mg twice daily) or placebo (PLB) for 14 days. The Ordinal Scale for Clinical Improvement of the World Health Organization (OSCI-WHO) was the primary measure. Secondary endpoints included assessment for fatigue; depression, disorders of smell and taste, and sleepiness on Days 1 and 15.

resultsWe enrolled 99 patients (49 AMD and 50 PLB). Disease progression (OSCI-WHO = 4) was observed in 6% (AMD) and 8% (PLB) patients (p > 0.05) with further deterioration (OSCI-WHO〉4) in 0% (AMD) and 8% (PLB) patients (p > 0.05). Complete recovery on Day 15 was 60% higher in the AMD compared with the PLB group (p = 0.025). There was improvement in taste (AMD: p = 0.003; PLB: p = 0.0001) and smell (AMD: p = 0.005; PLB: p = 0.0004) but not in fatigue in both groups. Improvement was observed in the AMD (p = 0.010) but not in the PLB group (p = 0.058) when assessing depression as well as sleepiness (AMD: p = 0.0002; PLB: p = 0.341). There was one death in the PLB group (2.0%) and none in the AMD group (p > 0.05) until Day 210. Overall, the drug was well tolerated.

conclusionThe central effects of amantadine on the nervous system with reduction of sleepiness and depression might have had a supportive effect on faster recovery in early COVID-19 patients.

Indexed as

COVID-19AmantadineDouble-Blind MethodFatigueHumansSARS-CoV-2SleepinessTreatment OutcomeAmantadineamantadineCOVID-19neurological and psychiatric complicationsoutcometrial

Identifiers

PMID37584095
PMCPMC11235826
OpenAlexW4385851146

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.