Recent Examples on the WebThe first treatment for AIDS -- AZT or azidothymidine -- had staggering side effects including intestinal problems, vomiting and damage to the immune system.The Salt Lake Tribune, 1 Dec. 2021 The first one, azidothymidine or AZT, a repurposed cancer drug approved in 1987, was only slightly helpful.USA Today, 5 June 2021 The tides began to turn in 1987 when the first treatment, azidothymidine (AZT) garnered approval as the first of dozens of antiretroviral treatments now available. Dr. Divya Chhabra And Sony Salzman, ABC News, 5 June 2021 April 29, 2020 Fauci, who took the helm of NIAID in 1984, likened the new findings to the 1986 discovery that the anti-retroviral drug azidothymidine, or AZT, could suppress the HIV virus in patients with AIDS.Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2020 Another shortcoming, notes biochemist Jan Gettemans of Ghent University, is that unlike many important drugs, including statins and the anti-HIV drug azidothymidine, the antibodies can't enter cells on their own. Mitch Leslie, Science | AAAS, 10 May 2018