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Nevirapine 200 mg Nevirapine-PR (prolonged release) 400 mg
neh-VYE-a-peen or neh-VIR-a-peen
- Nevirapine (tradename Viramune in Europe) is a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI).
- There are two formulations: nevirapine (200 mg) and nevirapine prolonged release (400 mg).
- In some countries nevirapine-PR is called nevirapine-XR (extended release)
- Nevirapine needs a lead-in period where a lower dose (200 mg a day) is used for the first two weeks. Do not increase to the higher dose after two weeks if there is still evidence of a rash.
- Standard adult dose after the first two weeks: EITHER 1 x 200 mg tablet twice daily OR 1 x 400 mg tablet once-daily. Once-daily dosing using 2 x 200 mg tablets is widely used but usually only once viral load has become undetectable using the twice-daily dose.
- Take with or without food.
- Side effects: rash and liver toxicity. These generally occur in the first 6-8 weeks. Your doctor needs to see any rash which in severe cases can be fatal. If you still have a rash after the first 2 weeks do not increase the dose.
- Other notes: women with a CD4 count over 250 and men with a count over 400 should not start treatment with nevirapine. If your viral load is undetectable on another treatment, you can switch treatment to nevirapine at higher CD4 counts.
Further information
Information on rash and liver toxicity from the i-Base side effects guide.
The European patient information and detailed Product Information for nevirapine are available in PDF format from this link on the European Medicines Agency (EMA) website.
The Patient Information is a simplified summary: what the drug is, why it is used, results from studies and cautions including side effects.
The Product Information is a detailed technical summary that you can access as a PDF file by clicking the ‘Product Information’ tab. It describes more precisely how the drug works and how it is processed by your body. This includes, for example, reported food interaction studies in terms of calories or fat content. It includes more details of the study results and a full list of side effects and drug interactions.