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Zidovudine (INN) or azidothymidine (AZT) (also called ZDV) is an antiretroviral drug, the first one approved for treatment of HIV. It is also sold under the names Retrovir® and Retrovis®, and as an ingredient in Combivir® and Trizivir®. It is an analog of thymidine.
History
Zidovudine was the first drug approved for the treatment of AIDS and HIV infection. Jerome Horwitz first synthesized AZT in 1964, under a US National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant. It was originally intended to treat cancer, but failed to show efficacy and had an unacceptably high side effect profile. The drug then faded from view until February 1985, when Samuel Broder, Hiroaki Mitsuya, and Robert Yarchoan, three scientists in the National Cancer Institute (NCI), collaborating with Janet Rideout and several other scientists in Burroughs Wellcome Co., started working on it as an AIDS drug. After showing that this drug was an effective agent against HIV in vitro, the team conducted the initial clinical trial that provided evidence that it could increase CD4 counts in AIDS patients. - describing AZT development - describing AZT development
A placebo-controlled randomized trial of AZT was subsequently conducted by Burroughs-Wellcome (now GlaxoSmithKline), in which it was shown that it could prolong the life of patients with AIDS. Burroughs Wellcome Co. filed for a patent on AZT in 1986. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the drug (via the then-new FDA accelerated approval system) for use against HIV, AIDS, and AIDS Related Complex (ARC, a now-defunct medical term for pre-AIDS illness) on March 20, 1987, and then as a preventive treatment in 1990. It was initially administered in much higher dosages than today, typically one 400mg dose every four hours (even at night). However, the unavailability at that time of alternatives to treat AIDS affected the risk/benefit ratio, with the certain toxicity of HIV infection outweighing the risk of drug toxicity. One of AZT's side effects includes anemia, a common complaint in early trials.
More on [ Zidovudine ]
FDA notifications. Zidovudine approved for pediatric use. - http://bit.ly/8YiuFy
ALLeukemiaChild (ALL Leukemia CHild) Tue, 15 Dec 2009 20:10:24 -0000
FDA notifications. Zidovudine approved for pediatric use. - http://bit.ly/8YiuFy
FDA notifications. Lamivudine/zidovudine combination approved for pediatric use. - http://bit.ly/65XSx0
ALLeukemiaChild (ALL Leukemia CHild) Tue, 15 Dec 2009 20:09:39 -0000
FDA notifications. Lamivudine/zidovudine combination approved for pediatric use. - http://bit.ly/65XSx0
The accumulation and metabolism of zidovudine in 3T3-F442A pre-adipocytes http://kele.es/ocw
Bio_Network (George Maine) Sat, 12 Dec 2009 16:01:05 -0000
The accumulation and metabolism of zidovudine in 3T3-F442A pre-adipocytes http://kele.es/ocw
DrugDigest: Zidovudine Oral - Information on dosage, usage, side effects, interactions, and drug comparisons, including generics when available. Sold under brand names such as: AZT, Retrovir, and ZDV.
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Retrovir - Product information for US residents in PDF format. [Acrobat Reader required]
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Zidovudine - a.k.a. Zidovudine, ZDV, Retrovir.
Zidovudine - (AZT, ZDV, Retrovir)
Meta Description: [ zidovudine (AZT, Retrovir) ]
