[5] Common side effects include rash, headache, nausea, feeling tired, and liver problems.

[5] Nevirapine is used in people six years of age and older infected with HIV-1 as part of combination antiretroviral treatment (ART or cART).

[3] Although concerns have been raised about nevirapine-based regimens in those starting therapy with high viral load or low CD4 count, some analyses suggest that nevirapine may be effective in this group of people.

[11] Nevirapine may also form a useful component of salvage regimens after virological failure, usually in combination with one or more PIs as well as nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTIs), especially in those who have not previously taken an NNRTI.

[20] A major concern with this approach is that NNRTI resistance mutations are commonly observed in both mothers and infants after single-dose nevirapine,[21] and may compromise the response to future NNRTI-containing regimens.

[23] Nevirapine is contraindicated for non-occupational post-exposure-prophylaxis including for pregnant and nonpregnant women due to severe liver toxicity.

[25][26] Severe or life-threatening skin reactions have been observed in 1.5% of patients, including Stevens–Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis and hypersensitivity.

However, in similar patients with a detectable VL, it is prudent to continue to adhere to current CD4 cell count thresholds.

It may reduce levels of several co-administered drugs including the antiretrovirals efavirenz, indinavir, lopinavir, nelfinavir and saquinavir, as well as clarithromycin, ketoconazole, forms of hormonal contraception, and methadone.

[33] Nevirapine is not effective against HIV-2, as the pocket of the HIV-2 reverse transcriptase has a different structure, which confers intrinsic resistance to the NNRTI class.

Former U.S. President George W. Bush's PEPFAR funding of $500 million to help combat the African AIDS epidemic included nevirapine, among other medications and programs.

In South Africa, the Treatment Action Campaign successfully sued the government over its failure to make nevirapine widely available.

In Minister of Health v Treatment Action Campaign the Constitutional Court of South Africa ordered the government to immediately "remove the restrictions that prevent Nevirapine from being made available for the purpose of reducing the risk of mother-to-child transmission of HIV at public hospitals and clinics that are not research and training sites [and] permit and facilitate the use of Nevirapine for the purpose of reducing the risk of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and to make it available for this purpose at hospitals and clinics when in the judgement of the attending medical practitioner acting in consultation with the medical superintendent of the facility concerned this is medically indicated, which shall if necessary include that the mother concerned has been appropriately tested and counselled.