In 1987, AZT (azidothymidine) became the first drug developed to combat HIV. AZT is still marketed by GlaxoSmithKline under the name Retrovir. The generic name has been changed from azidothumidine to zidovudine. Unfortunately, AZT had many side effects; among these were damage to the blood-producing cells in the bone marrow, resulting in severe anemia in blood cells. About half of all HIV-infected patients cannot tolerate AZT.

AZT was a nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor, abbreviated NRTI. It worked by stopping the process of reverse transcription (link), which is how the virus prepares its RNA to be integrated into the host cell DNA.

Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors are actually defective nucleic acids (building blocks) used by the enzyme reverse transcriptase to convert the viral RNA into DNA. Since these building blocks are similar enough to real building blocks, reverse transcriptase uses them to create defective DNA that cannot be integrated into the host cell DNA.

For more information on reverse transcription, click here.

Current FDA approved Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors

Generic Name	Brand Name	Quantity per day	Year Approved
didanosine	Videx	One 400mg pill OR Four 100mg pills	1991
Stavudine (d4T)	Zerit	Two 40mg pills	1994
Zidovudine (AZT)	Retrovir	600mg (divided)	1987
Lamivudine (3TC)	Epivir	Two 150mg pills	1995
Abacavir sulfate	Ziagen	Two 300mg pills	1998
Zalcitabine (ddc)	Hivid	Three 0.75 pills	1992
Zidovudine/lamivudine (AZT/3TC)	Combivir	Two 450mg	1997
Zidovudine/Lamivudine/abacavir sulfate	Trizivir	Two 750mg pills	2000

Clicking on the links above will redirect your browser to the manufacturer’s product information page.

Sources

1. Antiretrovirals at a Glance. Chart. Princeton: Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, 2001.
2. Check, William A. AIDS. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1988. The Encyclopedia of Health.
3. "Drugs Used in the Treatment of HIV Infection." U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 10 Feb. 2004 http://www.fda.gov/oashi/aids/virals.html
4. Silverstein, Alvin. AIDS: An All-About Guide for Young Adults. Springfield: Enslow Publishers, 1999.