Nevirapine approved

NNRTIs inhibit reverse transcriptase which is an enzyme that controls the replication of the genetic material of HIV. They are an important component of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART). In 1999, a study in Uganda finds that a single dose of nevirapine given to both mother and child reduced the rate of HIV transmission by almost 50% compared with a very short course of zidovudine (AZT). The World Health Organization subsequently endorses nevirapine as a cost-effective way of reducing mother-to-child transmission in developing countries.