RETROVIR (AZT) 50 MG / 5 ML — DIN 01902652
ZIDOVUDINE : 50 MG / 5 ML · VIIV HEALTHCARE ULC · SYRUP · wholesale supply in Canada
Health Canada status: MARKETED
What is RETROVIR (AZT)?
RETROVIR (AZT) 50 MG / 5 ML contains ZIDOVUDINE : 50 MG / 5 ML. It is listed in the Health Canada Drug Product Database under DIN 01902652, held by VIIV HEALTHCARE ULC, supplied as SYRUP for ORAL administration. Health Canada currently lists it as marketed, status dated 10-May-2010. Nexara Health is a licensed Canadian wholesale distributor (DEL 3-002896-A) and can source this product for hospitals, pharmacies and clinics. Availability and lead time are confirmed per order.
What is RETROVIR (AZT) used for?
RETROVIR (AZT) (zidovudine syrup, and solution for infusion) is indicated for the treatment of HIV infection when antiretroviral therapy is warranted. RETROVIR (AZT) is also indicated for the prevention of maternal - fetal HIV transmission as part of a regimen that includes oral RETROVIR (AZT) beginning between 14 and 34 weeks of gestation, intravenous RETROVIR (AZT) during labour, and administration of RETROVIR (AZT) Syrup to the newborn after birth.
Authorized indication as written in the Health Canada product monograph. For healthcare professionals and licensed purchasers; this is not medical advice.
How much does Zidovudine cost around the world?
Zidovudine is listed on 8 of the national price registers Nexara ingests. Each country publishes on a different basis, so those figures are not comparable with one another — or with a Canadian wholesale price.
What a market publishes matters more than the number it publishes. Australia publishes a ex-manufacturer; Bahrain publishes a retail (max); Greece publishes a producer price (ex-factory). Comparing an ex-factory ceiling against a pharmacy public price tells you nothing about either, and comparing either against a Canadian landed cost tells you less.
| Market | Price basis published there | Brands | Packs listed | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa | single exit price | 24 | 30 | ZAR███.██ |
| Morocco | PPV (public price) | 3 | 6 | MAD███.██ |
| Australia | ex-manufacturer | 1 | 3 | AUD███.██ |
| Greece | producer price (ex-factory) | 3 | 3 | EUR███.██ |
| United Arab Emirates | public | 1 | 2 | AED███.██ |
| Saudi Arabia | public | 2 | 2 | SAR███.██ |
| United States | acquisition | 2 | 2 | USD███.██ |
| Bahrain | retail (max) | 1 | 1 | BHD███.██ |
49 pack listings across 37 brand entries and 7 price bases, refreshed 08 Sep 2026. Ranges span every Zidovudine pack in that market, so a high figure is usually a larger pack rather than the same product.
Canada publishes no comparable public list price. For a delivered Canadian price on a licensed account, verify your licence — it takes about a minute.
Is there a generic Zidovudine in Canada, and who makes it?
Every market authorization holder with a Canadian DIN for this molecule, and how many of their listings Health Canada currently shows as marketed.
5 holders have a Canadian DIN containing Zidovudine, across 7 DINs, of which 3 are currently marketed. Marketed count is the number that matters: an approval that is not marketed cannot be bought.
| Market authorization holder | DINs | Marketed | Brand names | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VIIV HEALTHCARE ULC | 3 | 2 | RETROVIR (AZT) | Sourceable in Canada |
| APOTEX INC | 1 | 1 | APO-ZIDOVUDINE | Sourceable in Canada |
| AUROBINDO PHARMA LIMITED (UNIT III) | 1 | 0 | ZIDOVUDINE ORAL SOLUTION USP | No marketed DIN |
| GLAXO WELLCOME INC. | 1 | 0 | RETROVIR (AZT) 300MG | No marketed DIN |
| NOVOPHARM LIMITED | 1 | 0 | NOVO-AZT CAP 100MG | No marketed DIN |
Health Canada’s Drug Product Database does not flag which listing is the originator and which are subsequent-entry products, so Nexara does not label them here. Interchangeability is determined provincially, not federally — confirm for your province before a formulary switch. Nexara can confirm which of these is actually obtainable, and on what lead time, per order.
How is it supplied and stored?
Pack configuration, storage class and the handling constraints that drive cold-chain planning. One DIN can cover more than one pack size, and the pack — not the DIN — is what gets priced, shipped and invoiced.
| Strength on the label | 50 MG / 5 ML |
|---|---|
| Dosage form | SYRUP |
| Route | ORAL |
| Pack configuration (monograph) | Syrup: Supplied in 240 mL bottles. Solution for Infusion: Supplied as 20 mL single-use amber vial. Box of 5 vials. |
| Storage | The diluted solution should be administered within 8 hours if stored at 25ºC (77ºF) or 24 hours if refrigerated at 2º to 8ºC to minimize potential administration of a microbially contaminated solution. |
| Shipping class | Cold chain — validated shipper with temperature monitoring |
Before an order line is unambiguous Nexara needs the strength, the pack size and the presentation, because this listing covers more than one of them.
Cold chain. This product is stored refrigerated. Nexara ships it on a validated cold chain with temperature monitoring; a delivery address that cannot receive and store it at 2–8 °C on arrival must be flagged before the order is placed.
Substance and classification
| Active substance | Zidovudine |
|---|---|
| ATC code | J05AF01 |
| Biosimilar biologic | No |
Health Canada record and identifiers
The regulatory facts straight from the Drug Product Database, plus every identifier form Nexara accepts on a purchase order. A DIN written without its leading zeros is the commonest reason an order line fails to match.
| DIN (8-digit, as used in ordering) | 01902652 |
|---|---|
| DIN (unpadded, as printed on some documents) | 1902652 |
| Brand name | RETROVIR (AZT) |
| Generic / active ingredient | ZIDOVUDINE : 50 MG / 5 ML |
| Market authorization holder | VIIV HEALTHCARE ULC |
| Health Canada schedule | Prescription |
| ATC code | J05AF01 |
| ATC anatomical main group | J — Anti-infectives for systemic use |
| ATC therapeutic subgroup | J05AF |
| Current status | MARKETED |
| Status date | 10-May-2010 |
| Status source | Live Health Canada DPD sync |
Verify on the primary sources
What can be used instead?
Alternatives on every axis a buyer actually considers — the same molecule in another presentation, the same class, an adjacent class, or a fixed-dose combination. Every row is led by the marketed DIN count, because that is what can be bought this week.
1 · Same molecule, other Canadian presentations
3 of 7 Canadian DINs for this molecule are currently marketed. Marketed products are listed first.
| Product | Strength | Form | Holder | Health Canada status | DIN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| APO-ZIDOVUDINE | 100 MG | CAPSULE | APOTEX INC | MARKETED | 01946323 |
| RETROVIR (AZT) | 10 MG | SOLUTION | VIIV HEALTHCARE ULC | MARKETED | 01902644 |
| NOVO-AZT CAP 100MG | 100 MG | CAPSULE | NOVOPHARM LIMITED | CANCELLED POST MARKET | 01953877 |
| RETROVIR (AZT) | 100 MG | CAPSULE | VIIV HEALTHCARE ULC | CANCELLED POST MARKET | 01902660 |
| RETROVIR (AZT) 300MG | 300 MG | TABLET | GLAXO WELLCOME INC. | CANCELLED POST MARKET | 02238699 |
| ZIDOVUDINE ORAL SOLUTION USP | 50 MG / 5 ML | SOLUTION | AUROBINDO PHARMA LIMITED (UNIT III) | APPROVED | 02282186 |
2 · Same class — other molecules in ATC J05AF
| Molecule | Canadian brands | DINs | Marketed | Sourceable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tenofovir Disoproxil | AG-TENOFOVIR · APO-TENOFOVIR · AURO-TENOFOVIR · JAMP-TENOFOVIR · +8 more | 13 | 13 | Yes |
| Entecavir | ACCEL-ENTECAVIR · APO-ENTECAVIR · AURO-ENTECAVIR · BARACLUDE · +6 more | 12 | 10 | Yes |
| Lamivudine | 3TC · APO-LAMIVUDINE · APO-LAMIVUDINE HBV · AURO-LAMIVUDINE · +4 more | 14 | 9 | Yes |
| Zidovudine | APO-ZIDOVUDINE · NOVO-AZT CAP 100MG · RETROVIR (AZT) · RETROVIR (AZT) 300MG · +1 more | 7 | 3 | Yes |
| Abacavir | APO-ABACAVIR · MINT-ABACAVIR · ZIAGEN | 4 | 3 | Yes |
| Tenofovir Alafenamide | VEMLIDY | 1 | 1 | Yes |
| Didanosine | VIDEX CHEWABLE DISPERSIBLE TAB 100MG · VIDEX CHEWABLE DISPERSIBLE TAB 150MG · VIDEX CHEWABLE DISPERSIBLE TAB 25MG · VIDEX CHEWABLE DISPERSIBLE TAB 50MG · +2 more | 9 | 0 | Not in Canada |
| Stavudine | ZERIT · ZERIT - CAP 15MG · ZERIT - CAP 20MG · ZERIT - CAP 30MG · +1 more | 5 | 0 | Not in Canada |
| Zalcitabine | HIVID TAB 0.375MG · HIVID TAB 0.75 MG | 2 | 0 | Not in Canada |
| Adefovir Dipivoxil | AA-ADEFOVIR · HEPSERA | 2 | 0 | Not in Canada |
A molecule with zero marketed DINs cannot be sourced domestically, however many approvals it holds — if one of these sits on a formulary or in an older protocol, that is the line to check.
3 · Adjacent classes in ATC J05A
| ATC subgroup | Molecules | DINs | Marketed |
|---|---|---|---|
| J05AB | Acyclovir · Brincidofovir · Cidofovir · Famciclovir · Ganciclovir · +3 more | 143 | 55 |
| J05AR | Antivirals For Treatment Of Hiv Infections, Combinations · Atanazavir And Cobicistat · Darunavir And Cobicistat · Dolutegravir And Rilpivirine · Emtricitabine And Tenofovir Alafenamide · +16 more | 56 | 39 |
| J05AH | Neuraminidase Inhibitors · Oseltamivir · Zanamivir | 33 | 16 |
| J05AE | Amprenavir · Atazanavir · Darunavir · Fosamprenavir · Indinavir · +5 more | 75 | 14 |
| J05AX | Baloxavir Marboxil · Bulevirtide · Enfuvirtide · Fostemsavir · Inosine Pranobex · +5 more | 19 | 14 |
| J05AG | Delavirdine · Doravirine · Efavirenz · Etravirine · Nevirapine · +1 more | 22 | 10 |
| J05AJ | Cabotegravir · Dolutegravir · Elvitegravir · Raltegravir | 12 | 6 |
| J05AP | Asunaprevir · Boceprevir · Daclatasvir · Dasabuvir, Ombitasvir, Paritaprevir And Ritonavir · Elbasvir And Grazoprevir · +8 more | 22 | 6 |
Not clinical advice. These tables describe what can be supplied in Canada, not what should be prescribed. Substitution within or across classes is a prescriber and pharmacist decision, and interchangeability is determined provincially.
What else is RETROVIR (AZT) called?
The same molecule, Zidovudine, is registered under other names elsewhere. Buyers and prescribers searching from outside Canada — or working from a foreign prescription or tender document — often know it by one of these:
| Name | Script | Registered in |
|---|---|---|
| Retrovir | Latin | Australia, Bahrain, Morocco, South Africa, United Arab Emirates |
| Aspen Zidovudine | Latin | South Africa |
| AVIRO-Z | Latin | Morocco |
| Cipla Zidovudine Oral Solution | Latin | South Africa |
| Cipla-Zidovudine | Latin | South Africa |
| ZIDOVIR | Latin | Morocco |
| Adco-Zidovudine Syrup | Latin | South Africa |
| Adco-Zidovudine Tablets | Latin | South Africa |
| Aspen Zidovudine Syrup | Latin | South Africa |
| Cipla Duovir | Latin | South Africa |
| Colamziv | Latin | South Africa |
| Mivirdo | Latin | South Africa |
| Retrovir IV | Latin | South Africa |
| Triplavar | Latin | South Africa |
Names are taken from national medicine registers and published price lists. A product registered abroad is not authorized for sale in Canada unless it holds its own DIN; import is possible only through the routes Health Canada permits.
How can I get it?
Nexara Health supplies this product to licensed Canadian buyers — pharmacies, hospitals, clinics, licensed distributors, and clinical trial sponsors or their CROs. We confirm stock, pack size, expiry and pricing at the time of quotation. If the product is on backorder or in shortage, we identify equivalent alternatives and import options where permitted.
Ordering questions
Who can buy this from Nexara?
Licensed entities only. Nexara holds Health Canada establishment licence DEL 3-002896-A and ships only to a licensed address. Patients and unlicensed buyers are routed to a partner pharmacy.
Is there a minimum order?
Yes, set per product line and per pack multiple rather than on the order total, so you are never asked to buy a part-pack. The minimum for this line is confirmed with your quote.
What is the lead time?
Confirmed per order at quotation, and it depends on current stock position and whether the product is in shortage.
Why is there no price on this page?
Nexara quotes a delivered Canadian price per order, against a verified licence. Foreign list prices are published on incompatible bases and are not a guide to what any buyer can obtain here, so this page shows which markets list the molecule and on what basis, and nothing more.
Can Nexara supply this for a clinical trial?
Yes — comparator and background-therapy supply, including sourcing from other markets where a Canadian pack will not satisfy the protocol. Clinical trial supply.