Effect of cimetidine on the disposition of rimantadine in healthy subjects.

Twenty-three healthy male and female subjects received single 100-mg oral doses of rimantadine hydrochloride on two occasions in an open-label, sequential design with a 6-day washout between doses. The first dose of rimantadine was administered alone, and the second dose was administered concomitantly with cimetidine (300 mg four times a day for 6 days). Blood and urine samples were collected, and rimantadine concentrations were determined by a gas-chromatographic--mass-spectrometric method. There were no changes in the rate of absorption and the renal clearance of rimantadine when it was administered with cimetidine. Both parametric and nonparametric tests showed significant differences in the area under the concentration-time curve, apparent total clearance, and elimination rate constant between the treatments (P less than 0.01). The apparent total clearance was reduced by 18%, resulting in higher values for the area under the concentration-time curve in the presence of cimetidine. However, the wide therapeutic index of rimantadine renders these changes of little, if any, clinical consequence.