Drug factors	Amantadine (Symmetrel)			Rimantadine (Flumadine)
Generic availability	Yes			Yes
Dosage forms	Liquid and tablet			Liquid and tablet
Treatment and prevention of influenza type A in adults	Yes			Yes
Treatment of influenza type A in children	Yes			Not approved
Prevention of influenza type A in children	Yes			Yes
Dosages for treatment of influenza type A	Adults* and children 12 years of age: 200 mg daily until 24 to 48 hours after symptoms have disappeared			Adults* and children 10 years of age: 100 mg twice daily for seven days
			or	Not approved for children < 10 years of age
		100 mg twice daily† until 24 to 48 hours after symptoms have disappeared
	Children one to nine years of age: 5 mg per kg daily (up to 150 mg daily) until 24 to 48 hours after symptoms have disappeared
	Children 10 to 11 years of age: 100 mg twice daily until 24 to 48 hours after symptoms have disappeared
Dosages for prevention of influenza A‡	Adults* and children 12 years of age: 200 mg daily for at least seven days			Adults* and children 10 years of age: 100 mg twice daily for at least seven days
			or
		100 mg twice daily for at least seven days		Children < 10 years of age: 5 mg per kg daily (up to 150 mg daily) for at least seven days
	Children one to nine years of age: 5 mg per kg daily (up to 150 mg daily) for at least seven days
	Children 10 to 11 years of age: 100 mg twice daily for at least seven days
Prevention and treatment of influenza B	No			No
Dosage reduction in renal impairment	Yes (creatinine clearance 50 mL per minute [0.83 mL per second])			Yes (creatinine clearance 10 mL per min [0.17 mL per second])
Side effects	CNS and GI			Primarily GI
Cost (generic)§
Five-day treatment (adult dosage)	$18 ($4 to $5)			$29 ($26)
42-day treatment (adult dosage in community outbreaks)	$106 ($28 to $31)			$171 ($154)