ZERIT® is the brand name for stavudine (d4T), a synthetic thymidine nucleoside analogue, active against the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). The chemical name for stavudine is 2′,3′-didehydro-3′-deoxythymidine. Stavudine has the following structural formula:

Stavudine is a white to off-white crystalline solid with the molecular formula C10H12N2O4 and a molecular weight of 224.2. The solubility of stavudine at 23°C is approximately 83 mg/mL in water and 30 mg/mL in propylene glycol. The n-octanol/water partition coefficient of stavudine at 23°C is 0.144.

Capsules: ZERIT is available as capsules for oral administration containing either 15, 20, 30, or 40 mg of stavudine. Each capsule also contains inactive ingredients microcrystalline cellulose, sodium starch glycolate, lactose, and magnesium stearate. The hard gelatin shell consists of gelatin, titanium dioxide, and iron oxides. The capsules are printed with edible inks.

Powder for Oral Solution: ZERIT is available as a dye-free, fruit-flavored powder in bottles with child-resistant closures providing 200 mL of a 1 mg/mL stavudine oral solution upon constitution with water per label instructions. The powder for oral solution contains the following inactive ingredients: methylparaben, propylparaben, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, sucrose, and antifoaming and flavoring agents.^[1]

Adapted from the FDA Package Insert.