A licensed drug often used in combination with other anti-HIV drugs. These drugs treat, but do not cure, HIV or AIDS. Side effects include nausea, vomiting, and low red or white blood cell counts. These drugs can be used to help prevent transmission of HIV from mother to fetus.

an antiviral drug prescribed for the treatment of AIDS. Bagging: a procedure in which a bag is attached outside the mouth so that breathing can be done mechanically for the patient.

an antiviral drug (trade name Retrovir) used in the treatment of AIDS; adverse side effects include liver damage and suppression of the bone marrow

A drug used to treat HIV. It targets the reverse transcriptase enzyme.

The first antiviral drug with clinically beneficial effects on the treatment of HIV.

The brand name for zidovudine (ZDV), a treatment for HIV infection.

also known as "Zidovudine" and as "Retrovir", an anti-viral drug often prescribed for AIDS

A chemotherapy drug used to slow the progression of AIDS diseases by preventing viral replication. Its side-effects include leucopenia, anaemia, and nausea. Like all chemotherapy drugs, AZT is immunosuppressive.

Sold under the brand name Retrovir, a drug approved for use as part of combination antiretroviral therapy to treat HIV disease.

a nucleoside (thymidine) analog drug that suppresses the replication of HIV by terminating DNA synthesis. AZT is FDA-approved for the treatment of HIV infection; current practice favors the use of AZT in combination with other antiretroviral drugs. AZT crosses the blood-brain barrier and may be effective against AIDS dementia complex. Adverse side effects include nausea, myopathy and bone marrow suppression.

See Zidovudine.   Click here to return to list

A nucleoside analog used to slow replication of HIV. AZT is approved for the initial treatment of HIV infection. AZT is increasingly administered in combination with other antiviral drugs, especially 3TC (a combination that is under consideration by the FDA as another initial treatment regimen for HIV) as well as ddC (an FDA-approved combination for persons with progressive disease and CD4 cell counts below 300). Possible side effects include bone marrow suppression leading to anemia, leukopenia or neutropenia nausea, muscle weakness and headaches.

Zidovudine, also called Retrovir, the most common drug used to combat AIDS. It works by disturbing the action of the encyme reverse transciptase. (?)

A nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor first approved by the FDA in 1987 and used in combination with other antiretroviral agents for the treatment of HIV infection in adults (ages 12+) and children 3 months to 12 years of age. In 1994, the FDA approved AZT for use in HIV-infected pregnant women beginning between 14 and 34 weeks gestation and during labor, and for use in newborn babies of HIV-infected mothers. Also known by the names Retrovir ® and Zidovudine.

azidothymidine, a drug used to slow the replication of the HIV virus. page top

a medicine to slow the growth of HIV.

A drug used to prevent HIV from replicating itself in the body; has proven to be quite successful in reducing perinatal transmission.

AZT, Retrovir and Zidovudine are the common names for the chemical 3'-azidothymidine. It was the first drug on the market for AIDS. It was thought that AZT might be the cure for AIDS-related diseases but the hopes were dashed at the 1993 International AIDS Conference in Berlin. AZT is neither as good as its manufacturer claims, nor is it as bad as AIDS activists have alleged. In combination with other drugs (see "cocktail"), it can be helpful in slowing the progress of HIV/AIDS. It definitely helps to cut down on the transmission of perinatal AIDS.

An antiretroviral drug that may be used to treat an HIV-positive pregnant woman. See Retrovir, Zidovudine.

azidothymidine is a thymine analog that 'fools' reverse transcriptase into mistakingly adding it to a growing DNA strand and this terminates reverse trasncription because AZT will not accept the addition of the next nucleotide to the growing chain. It is used as a treatment against the HIV because it effect is to interrupt the pathway to new viral proteins and new virions.

Abbreviation for zidovudine.