The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of Sunlenca, an injectable treatment to suppress the HIV virus in patients who have experienced resistance to other antiviral therapies. Experts explain that the new drug, which requires less frequent dosing, could be a "game changer" for those whose infections do not respond to existing treatments. This drug, developed by Gilead Sciences, is the first of a new class called capsid inhibitors, which work by blocking the protein envelope or capsid of the HIV-1 virus, disrupting multiple stages of the viral life cycle.
In a clinical trial involving 72 patients with multi-drug resistant HIV and high viral loads, 83% of the patients who received Sunlenca along with other medications achieved an undetectable viral load after about a year.
What is HIV Treatment Sunlenca? Experts clarify that Sunlenca (or lenacapavir) is the first of a new class of drugs approved by the U.S. FDA for treating HIV. Lenacapavir is an antiviral medication that works by preventing the virus from replicating, keeping HIV levels in the body extremely low. Sunlenca has been approved for patients with HIV who have not responded to multiple other treatment regimens. The treatment starts with an initial oral dose, followed by injections every six months.
This therapy may be beneficial for older patients who were diagnosed during the peak of the epidemic and struggle to adhere to earlier complex treatment regimens, which can contribute to treatment resistance, said Sabrina Assoumou, a physician and infectious disease specialist at Boston Medical Center. Wendy Armstrong, a professor at Emory University, noted that a medication administered twice a year could also assist patients facing barriers to care, such as lack of transportation, by simplifying adherence to the treatment regimen. She stated that this new treatment offers a chance "to provide care that can be effective for people facing real challenges with our traditional treatment system."
The cost of the drug will be $42,250 to initiate treatment, with subsequent doses costing $39,000 annually. Therefore, the medical community hopes to see the drug quickly added to insurance plan formulas.
