AZT (azidothymidine; generic name: zidovudine; trade name: Retrovir) set a new direction for research on drug treatments for HIV infection and AIDS in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It was the first antiretroviral to gain FDA approval. It was at the center of debates on the use of placebos in clinical trials of AIDS drugs. Discussions surrounding AZT led to formal codification of rules governing patient access to experimental drugs. From 1987 to 1994...
