--- title: AIDS Drug AZT: How It Got Approved 30 Years Ago description: The first AIDS drug was approved on March 19, 1987—but getting there was by no means easy. Here's the story behind the treatment. canonical: https://time.com/4705809/first-aids-drug-azt/ author: Alice Park article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-03-19T16:00:11.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:42:01.671Z article:section: History og:title: The Story Behind the First AIDS Drug, Approved 30 Years Ago og:description: Getting there was by no means easy og:url: https://time.com/4705809/first-aids-drug-azt/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltda085a4092cf0a3b/6988beed8fd2ee0a6935632c/gettyimages-128614282.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4219 og:image:height: 2373 og:image:alt: AZT, known as Zidovudine or Azidothymidine, the first approved treatment for HIV (sold as Retrovir and Retrovis). It is used as an ingredient in Combivir and Trizivir. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Story Behind the First AIDS Drug, Approved 30 Years Ago twitter:description: Getting there was by no means easy twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltda085a4092cf0a3b/6988beed8fd2ee0a6935632c/gettyimages-128614282.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Story Behind the First AIDS Drug > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Subscription: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME is a general-interest news organization founded in 1923, reporting on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world. A TIME subscription provides full access to that journalism in print and digital, from $20 a year, and can be cancelled at any time. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ## Video: 100 Photographs: The Face of AIDS [Watch (HLS stream): 100 Photographs: The Face of AIDS](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/FcnnnurT.m3u8) (11:22)  _Published 2016-11-11. Therese Frare’s scene of the deathbed of AIDS patient David Kirby gave the illness a human face. Its use in a Benetton ad blurred the lines between commerce and public provocation._  by [Alice Park](https://time.com/author/alice-park/)  ## Alice Park Senior Correspondent Mar 19, 2017 4:00 PM UTC  AZT, known as Zidovudine or Azidothymidine, the first approved treatment for HIV (sold as Retrovir and Retrovis). It is used as an ingredient in Combivir and Trizivir. AZT, known as Zidovudine or Azidothymidine, the first approved treatment for HIV (sold as Retrovir and Retrovis). It is used as an ingredient in Combivir and Trizivir. Will & Deni McIntyre—Getty Images  by [Alice Park](https://time.com/author/alice-park/)  ## Alice Park Senior Correspondent Mar 19, 2017 4:00 PM UTC Today, if someone is diagnosed with [HIV](http://time.com/4703308/can-we-prevent-mother-child-hiv-transmission/), he or she can choose among 41 drugs that can [treat](http://time.com/4585360/world-aids-day/) the [disease](http://time.com/4579321/world-aids-day-posters/). And there’s a good chance that with the right combination, given at the right time, the drugs can keep HIV levels so low that the person never gets sick. That wasn’t always the case. It took seven years after HIV was first discovered before the first drug to fight it was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In those first anxious years of the epidemic, millions were infected. Only a few thousand had died at that point, but public health officials were racing to keep that death rate from spiking — the inevitable result if people who tested positive weren’t treated with something. As it turned out, their first weapon against HIV wasn’t a new compound scientists had to develop from scratch — it was one that was already on the shelf, albeit abandoned. AZT, or azidothymidine, was originally developed in the 1960s by a U.S. researcher as way to thwart cancer; the compound was supposed to insert itself into the DNA of a cancer cell and mess with its ability to replicate and produce more tumor cells. But it didn’t work when it was tested in mice and was put aside. Two decades later, after AIDS emerged as new infectious disease, the pharmaceutical company Burroughs Wellcome, already known for its antiviral drugs, began a massive test of potential anti-HIV agents, hoping to find anything that might work against this new viral foe. Among the things tested was something called Compound S, a re-made version of the original AZT. When it was throw into a dish with animal cells infected with HIV, it seemed to block the virus’ activity. The company sent samples to the FDA and the National Cancer Institute, where Dr. Samuel Broder, who headed the agency, realized the significance of the discovery. But simply having a compound that could work against HIV wasn’t enough. In order to make it available to the estimated millions who were infected, researchers had to be sure that it was safe and that it would indeed stop HIV in some way, even if it didn’t cure people of their infection. At the time, such tests, overseen by the FDA, took eight to 10 years. Patients couldn’t wait that long. Under enormous public pressure, the FDA’s review of AZT was fast tracked — some say at the expense of patients. Scientists quickly injected AZT into patients. The first goal was to see whether it was safe — and, though it did cause side effects (including severe intestinal problems, damage to the immune system, nausea, vomiting and headaches) it was deemed relatively safe. But they also had to test the compound’s effectiveness. In order to do so, a controversial trial was launched with nearly 300 people who had been diagnosed with AIDS. The plan was to randomly assign the participants to take capsules of the agent or a sugar pill for six months. Neither the doctor nor the patient would know whether they were on the drug or not. After 16 weeks, Burroughs Wellcome announced that they were stopping the trial because there was strong evidence that the compound appeared to be working. One group had only one death. Even in that short period, the other group had 19\. The company reasoned that it wouldn’t be ethical to continue the trial and deprive one group of a potentially life-saving treatment. ### The Photo That Changed the Face of AIDS  David Kirby on his deathbed, Ohio, 1990. Therese Frare  In another of Therese Frare's photos taken in the final moments of David Kirby's life, his caregiver and friend, Peta; David's father; and David's sister, Susan, say goodbye. Therese Frare  Bill Kirby tries to comfort his dying son, David, 1990. Therese Frare  A nurse at Pater Noster House in Ohio holds David Kirby's hands not long before he died, spring 1990. Therese Frare  David Kirby, Ohio, 1990. Therese Frare  David Kirby's mother, Kay, holds a photograph of her son -- taken by Ohio photographer Art Smith -- before AIDS took its toll. Therese Frare  Peta, a volunteer at Pater Noster House in Ohio, cares for a dying David Kirby, 1990. Therese Frare  Peta lies on a couch in a home rented by Pater Noster House, 1991\. After the infamous ad ran, Benetton donated money to Pater Noster, some of which was used to furnish the house where Peta and other patients stayed. Therese Frare  Peta on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, July 1991\. "Peta could be a handful at times," Therese Frare told LIFE.com, "but there was a great deal of joy in our relationship. He wasn't like anyone I'd ever met." Therese Frare  Peta swims in a lake on the Pine Ridge (Lakota) Indian Reservation in South Dakota, during a trip home with photographer Therese Frare in July 1991. Therese Frare  Peta at the Pine Ridge (Lakota) Indian Reservation in South Dakota, during a trip home with Therese Frare in July 1991. Therese Frare  Peta in Ohio, 1991. Therese Frare  Peta in bed at Pater Noster House, 1992. Therese Frare  Scene at Pater Noster House, Ohio, 1991. Therese Frare  Peta at Pater Noster House, 1992. Therese Frare  Peta with Bill and Kay Kirby at Pater Noster House, 1992\. "I made up my mind," Kay Kirby said, "when David was dying and Peta was helping to care for him, that when Peta's time came -- and we all knew it would come -- that we would care for him. There was never any question. We were going to take care of Peta. That was that." Therese Frare  Kay Kirby administers medicine to Peta via an IV, 1992. Therese Frare  Peta and Bill Kirby share a quiet moment together in Peta's room, Ohio, 1992. Therese Frare  Peta in hospice, Columbus, Ohio, 1992. Therese Frare  Bill and Kay Kirby, 1992. Therese Frare Those results — and AZT — were heralded as a “breakthrough” and “the light at the end of the tunnel” by the company, and pushed the FDA approve the first AIDS medication on March 19, 1987, in a record 20 months. But the study remains controversial. Reports surfaced soon after that the results may have been skewed since doctors weren’t provided with a standard way of treating the other problems associated with AIDS — pneumonia, diarrhea and other symptoms — which makes determining whether the AZT alone was responsible for the dramatic results nearly impossible. For example, some patients received blood transfusions to help their immune systems; introducing new, healthy blood and immune cells could have helped these patients battle the virus better. There were also stories of patients from the 12 centers where the study was conducted pooling their pills, to better the chances that they would get at least some of the drug rather than just placebos. And there were still plenty of questions left unanswered about the drug when it was approved. How long did the apparent benefits last? Could people who weren’t sick yet still benefit? Did they benefit more than those further along in their disease? Such uncertainty would not be acceptable with a traditional approval, but the urgent need to have something in hand to fight the growing epidemic forced FDA’s hand. The people in the trial were already pressuring the company and the FDA to simply release the drug — if there were something that worked against HIV, they said, then it was not ethical to withhold it. The drug’s approval remains controversial to this day, but in a world where treatment options are so far advanced it can be hard to imagine the sense of urgency and the social pressure permeating the medical community at the time. AIDS was an impending wave that was about to crash on the shores of an unsuspecting — and woefully unprepared — populace. Having at least one drug that worked, in however limited a way, was seen as progress. But even after AZT’s approval, activists and public health officials raised concerns about the price of the drug. At about $8,000 a year (more than $17,000 in [today](https://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl?cost1=8000&year1=1987&year2=2017)’s dollars) — it was prohibitive to many uninsured patients and AIDS advocates accused Burroughs Wellcome of exploiting an already vulnerable patient population. In the years since, it’s become clear that no single drug is the answer to fighting HIV. People taking AZT soon began showing rising virus levels — but the virus was no longer the same, having mutated to resist the drug. More drugs were needed, and AIDS advocates criticized the FDA for not moving quickly enough to approve additional medications. And side effects including heart problems, weight issues and more reminded people that anything designed to battle a virus like HIV was toxic. Today, there are several classes of HIV drugs, each designed to block the virus at specific points in its life cycle. Used in combination, they have the best chance of keeping HIV at bay, lowering the virus’s ability to reproduce and infect, and ultimately, to cause death. These so-called antiretroviral drugs have made it possible for people diagnosed with HIV to live long and relatively healthy lives, as long they continue to take the medications. And for most of these people, their therapy often still includes AZT. ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] It is a loving picture, accepting, is not a tragic picture at all even if this Showing a tragic situation. That picture put you in front of your conscience. What am I doing for that problem? So that's why people get angry. [ MUSIC ] On one hand you had this very intimate Situation and you had a logo that was about selling. Benetton was a clothing company. It just seems so evident what he was doing. He was creating sensational, iconographic images that people would remember along with the brand Benetton. Well We're not looking at the commercial side of it. To us it was an opportunity to make people think about AIDS. The Kirby family said Benetton's not using us. We're using Benetton. We want people to know that David was with us once, and this is what the disease did, and it's devastating. [ MUSIC ] I was living in Athens, Ohio I was a grad student. I was interested in Aids as a project. So I ended up going to Pater Noster House. It was a Hospice home for people living with Aids. The woman who started this home felt it was better to rather than to hide to Be open about what she was doing and why. So she said you can take photos here. He's name was David Kirby, he went to the hospital in Stafford, Ohio's first small town. And they found out that he had AIDS. And they burn the ambulance and there was just a lot of fear. [ MUSIC ] I met him and I said hey I'm gonna be doing some project, can I take your picture? He said something that no one has ever said to me before. He said yes you can but not For personal gain. [ MUSIC ] He had been an activist and he wanted this to be known somehow. [ MUSIC ] The Center for Disease Control says nationwide AIDS has struck 1, 641 mostly homosexuals. 644 people have died from the mystery disease. It was shocking. I mean, but it was building so slowly you kind of didn't realize what you were dealing with. And suddenly it was like you were going to a funeral every weekend. Bush, open your eyes and see. It's a state of emergency. We had A government that wouldn't say the word AIDS, communities of people started to speak for themselves. [ NOISE ] One of the things that Act Up did initially is said we've not victims, actually, we're people with AIDS, there are social reasons and political reasons why the disease exists. We die they do nothing. We die they do nothing. We die they do nothing. The caregiver to David is dying. And Kate Kirby, she came and she said to me We would all like you to photograph us saying our final goodbyes to David. [ MUSIC ] He invited me into the room. [ MUSIC ] They were holding him, giving him a sip of water, which I don't think he was taking, and just being with him at that moment. [ MUSIC ] I had no imagined mind and I just stood there and I didn't move and I just shoot a couple frames. [ MUSIC ] He died. And it was over. I think two days later or something, I processed the film. I could tell that it was something there. When it was published, I think I think what I, what I wanted to communicate really was just that here is what happened to this, to this one person and, and their family. Mom and Pop, you know, them. And it happened to them. This is. Is how it feels. [ MUSIC ] I did work for Benetton, from 1982 until 2000. When I started to do Benetton, I said let's do an experiment. Let's try to see if we can use communication that normally is used for selling product. Let's use communication to say something more. And let's take away the brand, and let's take away the product. My task was to create a campaign out of meaning and issues. The normally advertising they don't want to deal with. I was searching picture for my campaign, and I found the [ UNKNOWN ] photo published in Life. When I saw the picture, said, that's the picture. [ UNKNOWN ] look like Jesus Christ, but is dying of AIDS. It's [ MUSIC ] It's really pictorial, very pictorial, in the sense of painting. It is a snapshot but at the same time it's an incredible composition. The only thing it was in black and white, my problem was who's not. I want them real to be a realistic or their color be realistic when painting wall is not. When they contacted me. I didn't know what to do about that. Benetton said that they kinda of trying to bring people's attention to this issue The Kirby's said, let's do it . >> The word provocation got a very strange meaning. It sounds like if it is negative to be provocative. The Pieta Michelangelo is that provocative, a mother with an arm on her dead son? Every great piece of art has to provoke you some. So you have to provoke interest. That's what you have to do. Suddenly a picture that nobody complained about as an advertisement suddenly became This shocking picture. Boycott Benneton, Benneton boycott, boycott- Benneton uses advertising the way bullfighters use capes, to draw attention and provoke a reaction. All communication is manipulative. Yes, we are playing on people's emotions, just the way Hallmark cards and AT & T- Okay. Play on people's emotions. Let me ask- But at least we're doing [ CROSSTALK ] I didn't see a message of empowerment. I didn't see any kind of message coming from that advertising that would give people a way to become active, to take action in their own world. I don't think that AIDS activists were more activist than me. That's the point. They were not more activist than me. I have a big company investing money to make AIDS aware in the world. What did they do? [ MUSIC ] tell your client to do that, my dear friend from advertising. Tell your client to invest on problem that we should be solving. [ APPLAUSE ] I basically think that instead of blaming Benetron, gays, hemophiliacs or whatever, we should blame the United Stated government for not doing Don't you think, that a large wealth, of 15 years. [ APPLAUSE ] At the time, I don't feel like it created dialogue. I think it was a roadblock. I think it shut things down. Because people couldnt get over the idea that there was this kind of, you know, autobiography being used as commodity. Well, however Benetton intends the ads. The company announced today, that profits were up nearly 24 % last year. [ MUSIC ] Controversy mean that we discuss about that, I mean, that interest you, that there are different point of view and there is something [ UNKNOWN ] and it's got an energy. So from an economic point of view, I think it says Yes. Yeah, it did sell. It benefit for sure. The fact is, if a billion people see this image around the world, can you imagine the power, that that has to create a collective consciousness in the world, that hadn't previously existed. Just consider an image viewed by a billion people. That Image viewed by a billion people. I hear that it did change people's impressions of AIDS and I hope it did. At this point I realize it's become an image that has stirred up a lot of emotions and has become very signficant. My feelings about that photograph have significantly changed over time. Now, when I look at that photograph, I can see the humanist empathy of the maker. It was about trying to capture a human moment. [ FOREIGN ] I don't know if you understand that. To look and To see. There are thing that happened that we don't want to see. David Kirby was a great help, to make understanding what AIDS was about. What do you think David would say? About all of this, with people, press conferences and. What do you think he'd say? He said [ UNKNOWN ] the words he would have used is go forth. That's his [ UNKNOWN ]. He's up there going, " Wow ." Go date him. 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