Any of a class of antiretroviral drugs used to treat patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection. NRTIs prevent transcription of viral RNA to host DNA by interfering with the action of the enzyme reverse transcriptase. Zidovudine, dideoxyinosine, zalcitabine, d4T, and abacavir are NRTIs.
An antiretroviral medication that disrupts the activity of HIV reverse transcriptase within infected cells, hindering viral replication, is known as a reverse transcriptase inhibitor.