First AIDS Drug Approved
The FDA approved AZT as the first drug treatment for AIDS
March 19, 1987
A Crisis Without a Cure
AIDS — Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome — was first identified by U.S. health authorities in 1981. Caused by the HIV virus, it destroyed the immune system, leaving patients vulnerable to infections and cancers that healthy immune systems could easily fight off. In the early years, an AIDS diagnosis was essentially a death sentence. The disease spread rapidly through blood transfusions, intravenous drug use, and sexual contact. By the mid-1980s it had become a global epidemic, and the human toll — particularly among gay men, intravenous drug users, and hemophiliacs — was devastating. Political response in many countries was slow and stigma was intense.
AZT — The First Treatment
In March 1987, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved AZT (azidothymidine) as the first antiretroviral drug to treat HIV infection. AZT had originally been developed in the 1960s as a potential cancer drug but had been shelved. When HIV was identified as the cause of AIDS, scientists began testing existing compounds against it. AZT was found to slow the virus's ability to replicate. Clinical trials showed it could extend life and delay progression to AIDS. The FDA approved it in a record 20 months — far faster than the typical drug approval timeline — reflecting the urgency of the crisis.
From Treatment to Transformation
AZT was not a cure and had serious side effects, but it bought time for further research. By the mid-1990s, combination antiretroviral therapy — using multiple drugs simultaneously — had transformed HIV from a death sentence into a manageable chronic condition for those with access to treatment. Today, people living with HIV who receive treatment can expect near-normal life spans. The challenge of access remains enormous, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa where most HIV cases are concentrated. Use the date calculator to measure how much HIV treatment has progressed since 1987.