Delavirdine is the amide formed by the formal condensation of 5-[(methylsulfonyl)amino]-1H-indole-2-carboxylic acid with the 4-amino group of 1-[3-(isopropylamino)pyridin-2-yl]piperazine. It is a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor specific to HIV-1. Resistance develops rapidly when used alone, so it is administered as the methanesulfonic acid salt in combination with other antiretrovirals for HIV treatment. Delavirdine functions as a HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitor and antiviral drug. It is classified as an N-acylpiperazine, sulfonamide, aminopyridine, and indolecarboxamide.
