What is the dosing and frequency of sunlenca (lenacapavir) for HIV patients?

Sunlenca (Lenacapavir) Dosing and Administration for HIV Patients

Sunlenca (lenacapavir) is administered as subcutaneous injections every 6 months (26 weeks) after an initial loading phase, which can be given through two different options. 1

Initial Treatment Options

Option 1:

• Day 1: Two subcutaneous injections of Sunlenca plus two oral Sunlenca tablets 1
• Day 2: Two oral Sunlenca tablets 1

Option 2:

• Day 1: Two oral Sunlenca tablets 1
• Day 2: Two oral Sunlenca tablets 1
• Day 8: One oral Sunlenca tablet 1
• Day 15: Two subcutaneous injections 1

Maintenance Dosing

• After completing either Option 1 or Option 2, patients receive two subcutaneous injections every 6 months (26 weeks) from the date of their last injection 1, 2
• The injections are administered subcutaneously in the abdominal area 1

Special Considerations

Missed Doses

• If a scheduled injection is missed, patients should contact their healthcare provider immediately to discuss treatment options 1
• For patients who plan to miss a scheduled injection, there is an option to temporarily take Sunlenca tablets 1
• In this case, patients take 1 Sunlenca tablet by mouth once every 7 days until injections can resume 1

Medication Interactions

• Sunlenca should not be taken with strong CYP3A inducers 1
• Drug interactions may persist for up to 9 months after the last injection 1

Efficacy and Safety

• In clinical trials, lenacapavir demonstrated high rates of virologic suppression (81-83%) at week 26 in patients with multidrug-resistant HIV-1 3
• The most common side effects include injection site reactions (occurring in 63% of participants) and nausea 4
• Injection site reactions may include swelling, pain, redness, skin hardening, small mass or lump, and itching 1
• Hardened skin or lumps at the injection site may take longer to heal than other reactions 1

Important Clinical Considerations

• Lenacapavir is particularly valuable for patients with multidrug-resistant HIV-1 infection 3
• It is the first in a new class of drugs called capsid inhibitors to receive FDA approval 4
• Recent research is exploring the combination of lenacapavir with other long-acting antiretrovirals such as cabotegravir, with promising results (94% virologic suppression) 5
• The PURPOSE-1 study demonstrated lenacapavir's effectiveness as a prevention option when administered every 6 months 6

Monitoring

• Patients should remain under the care of a healthcare provider during treatment with Sunlenca 1
• It is important to attend all planned appointments for Sunlenca injections 1
• Missing Sunlenca treatment may cause the HIV-1 virus to develop resistance and become harder to treat 1