Chemical name:
3'-Azido-3'-deoxythymidine

Other names:

3'-Azidothymidine; azidothymidine; Azitidin; AZT; Retrovir®; Timazid; ZDV; Zidovudine

Formula:

C₁₀H₁₃N₅O₄

Structure:

Interestingly...

...AZT had been prepared in 1964 as a potential anti-cancer agent, but was shown to be ineffective. It was retested as an antiretro viral, when the AIDS epidemic hit Western society during the mid-1980's, and it is still a central component in the various combination therapies now in use.