diff --git a/pkgs/development/r-modules/default.nix b/pkgs/development/r-modules/default.nix
index 0afdfa87986..c079c45318d 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/r-modules/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/r-modules/default.nix
@@ -1297,6 +1297,10 @@ let
     geomorph = old.geomorph.overrideDerivation (attrs: {
       RGL_USE_NULL = "true";
     });
+
+    RNifti = old.RNifti.overrideDerivation (attrs: {
+      patches = [ ./patches/RNifti.patch ];
+    });
   };
 in
   self
diff --git a/pkgs/development/r-modules/patches/RNifti.patch b/pkgs/development/r-modules/patches/RNifti.patch
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..e8f3561e750
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkgs/development/r-modules/patches/RNifti.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
+index 05e8a1e..2dcde81 100644
+--- a/configure.ac
++++ b/configure.ac
+@@ -17,16 +17,5 @@ CXXFLAGS=`"${R_HOME}/bin/R" CMD config CXXFLAGS`
+ CPPFLAGS=`"${R_HOME}/bin/R" CMD config CPPFLAGS`
+ LDFLAGS=`"${R_HOME}/bin/R" CMD config LDFLAGS`
+ 
+-# Checks for libraries.
+-ZLIB_FLAGS="-Izlib"
+-ZLIB_OBJECTS=`ls -1 src/zlib/*.c | sed 's/^src\///' | sed 's/\\.c$/\\.o/'`
+-AC_SEARCH_LIBS([inflate], [z], [
+-    ZLIB_FLAGS=""
+-    ZLIB_OBJECTS=""
+-])
+-
+-AC_SUBST(ZLIB_FLAGS)
+-AC_SUBST(ZLIB_OBJECTS)
+-
+ AC_CONFIG_FILES([src/Makevars])
+ AC_OUTPUT
+diff --git a/src/Makevars.in b/src/Makevars.in
+index 77da572..358cc1d 100644
+--- a/src/Makevars.in
++++ b/src/Makevars.in
+@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
+-PKG_CPPFLAGS = -DNDEBUG -DHAVE_ZLIB -DUSING_R -DRNIFTI_NIFTILIB_DEDUPLICATE -I../inst/include @ZLIB_FLAGS@
++PKG_CPPFLAGS = -DNDEBUG -DHAVE_ZLIB -DUSING_R -DRNIFTI_NIFTILIB_DEDUPLICATE -I../inst/include
+ PKG_LIBS = @LIBS@
+ 
+ NIFTI_OBJECTS = znzlib/znzlib.o niftilib/nifti1_io.o niftilib/nifti2_io.o
+-OBJECTS = main.o zzz.o @ZLIB_OBJECTS@ $(NIFTI_OBJECTS)
++OBJECTS = main.o zzz.o $(NIFTI_OBJECTS)