Zidovudine

Zidovudine (Retrovir) is a reverse transcriptase inhibitor. Zidovudine (Retrovir) is a nucleoside analog reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI), a type of antiretroviral drug used for the treatment of HIV/AIDS. Zidovudine (Retrovir) is an analog of thymidine.Like other reverse transcriptase inhibitors, Zidovudine (Retrovir) works by inhibiting the action of reverse transcriptase, the enzyme that HIV uses to make a DNA copy of its RNA. Reverse transcription is necessary for production of the viral double-stranded DNA, which is subsequently integrated into the genetic material of the infected cell. The triphosphate form also inhibits DNA polymerase used by human cells to undergo cell division, but has approximately 100-fold greater affinity for viral reverse transcriptase.