AZT: The History and Impact of the First HIV Antiretroviral Drug

The first antiretroviral drug for use in the treatment of HIV (a retrovirus), was azidothymidine, better known by its acronym AZT. Azidothymidine is also known as zidovudine and is sold under several brand names, including Retrovir.

History

• AZT was approved for use in adult HIV patients by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1987, and for use in children with HIV in 1990. According to the University of California, San Francisco, the drug was approved to help stop HIV transmission from pregnant women to their children in 1994.

Maker

• The pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline had a patent on AZT until 2005. Since then, according to the University of California, San Francisco, a number of generic forms of the drug have been manufactured and approved.

Effects

• According to Encyclopedia Britanica, HIV uses an enzyme called reverse transcriptase to make viral DNA out of its own RNA. This viral DNA then integrates itself into the DNA of host cells. AZT is known as a reverse transcriptase inhibitor because it targets the reverse transcriptase enzyme.

Features

• HIV quickly becomes resistant to treatment with only AZT, so it is given in combination with other medications to reduce this risk. Taking multiple antiretroviral medications is a treatment plan known as highly active antiretroviral therapy, or HAART.

Side Effects

• Encyclopedia Britannica reports that AZT has been linked to side effects like muscle damage, fatigue, a general sick feeling, anemia, nausea and vomiting. Rare side effects include a buildup of lactic acid in bodily fluids and of fat in cells of the liver.