Zidovudine is a dideoxynucleoside used in the treatment of HIV infection. A dideoxynucleoside compound in which the 3'-hydroxy group on the sugar moiety has been replaced by an azido group.
- Mechanism
- Curator reviewed
Zidovudine, a structural analog of thymidine, is a prodrug that must be phosphorylated to its active 5′-triphosphate metabolite, zidovudine triphosphate (ZDV-TP). It inhibits the activity of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT) via DNA chain termination after incorporation of the nucleotide analogue. It competes with the natural substrate dGTP and incorporates itself into viral DNA. It is also a weak inhibitor of cellular DNA polymerase α and γ.
- Primary indication
- Used in combination with other antiretroviral agents for the treatment of human immunovirus (HIV) infections.Curator reviewed · 4 structured indications
- Formula / weight
- C10H13N5O4 · 267.2413 g/mol (avg)
- First approval
- Canada, 1998 · United States, 1987 · European Union, 2020
- Also known as
- Azidothymidine · Zidovudina
- Code names
- BW-A-509U · NSC-602670
- Brand names
Resolves to
HBOMLICNUCNMMY-XLPZGREQSA-NSMILESCC1=CN([C@H]2C[C@H](N=[N+]=[N-])[C@@H](CO)O2)C(=O)NC1=OWhat you can answer from here — as of September 23, 2026
Which drugs share a target with Zidovudine, and which of those have an active Phase 3 trial?
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