Nevirapine was the first non-nucleoside drug (NNRTI) to be approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) for use in combination therapy of HIV-1 infection in 1996. It has been approved for use in children of 2 months or older, and following the publication of the HIVNET 012 study in Uganda1 has been widely used as single-dose prophylaxis for prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission (MTCT) in resource-poor settings. Early in nevirapine development, a cutaneous hypersensitivity rash occurring in the first 4 weeks of therapy was recognised as a common side-effect, and registration studies reported clinical hepatitis in approximately 1% of individuals.2 Despite these recognised toxicities, cheap generic formulations, including fixed-dose combinations, have been manufactured in India and Brazil, making nevirapine one of the most commonly prescribed antiretrovirals worldwide
