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Trade names | Sunlenca |
Other names | GS-CA1, GS-6207 |
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Routes of administration | By mouth, subcutaneous |
Drug class | Capsid inhibitors |
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Formula | C39H32ClF10N7O5S2 |
Molar mass | 968.28 g·mol−1 |
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Lenacapavir, sold under the brand name Sunlenca, is an antiretroviral medication used to treat HIV/AIDS. [9] [10] It is taken by mouth or by subcutaneous injection. [9] [10]
The most common side effects include reactions at the injection site and nausea. [10] [11]
Lenacapavir was approved for medical treatment in the European Union in August 2022, [10] [12] in Canada in November 2022, [5] [6] and in the United States in December 2022. [9] [11] [13] [14] It is the first of a class of drugs called capsid inhibitors to be approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treating HIV/AIDS. [11] [15]
Lenacapavir, in combination with other antiretrovirals, is indicated for the treatment of HIV/AIDS. [9] It is used in heavily treatment-experienced adults with multiple drug resistance in whom current antiretroviral therapy is ineffective due to resistance, intolerance or safety considerations. [9] [11]
Lenacapavir works by binding directly to the interface between HIV-1 viral capsid protein (p24) subunits in capsid hexamers, interfering with essential steps of viral replication, including capsid-mediated nuclear uptake of HIV-1 proviral DNA[ clarification needed ], virus assembly and release, production of capsid protein subunits, and capsid core formation. [9] [11] The US Food and Drug Administration considers it to be a first-in-class medication. [15] [16]
Lenacapavir was developed by Gilead Sciences. [17]
The safety and efficacy of lenacapavir were established through a multicenter clinical trial with 72 participants whose HIV infections were resistant to multiple classes of HIV medications. [11] These participants had to have high levels of virus in their blood despite being on antiretroviral drugs. [11] Participants were enrolled into one of two study groups. [11] One group was randomized to receive either lenacapavir or placebo in a double-blind fashion, and the other group received open-label lenacapavir. [11] The primary measure of efficacy was the proportion of participants in the randomized study group who achieved a certain level of reduction in virus during the initial 14 days compared to baseline. [11]
The US Food and Drug Administration granted the application for lenacapavir priority review, fast track, and breakthrough therapy designations. [11]
In 2024, Science named lenacapavir "2024 Breakthrough of the Year", citing its "astonishing 100% efficacy" in one large efficacy trial in women and "99.9% efficacy in gender diverse people who have sex with men," while highlighting that research providing a "new understanding of the structure and function of HIV’s capsid protein" led to the drug's "off-the-charts success". [18]
In June 2022, the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency adopted a positive opinion, recommending the granting of a marketing authorization for the medicinal product Sunlenca, intended for the treatment of adults with multidrug‑resistant human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV‑1) infection. [19] The applicant for this medicinal product is Gilead Sciences Ireland UC. [19]
Lenacapavir was approved for medical use in the European Union in August 2022, [10] [20] in Canada in November 2022, [5] [6] and in the United States in December 2022. [11]
On 18 February 2025, the FDA accepted Gilead's drug application for twice-yearly lenacapavir under priority review. [21] The target action date was assigned as 19 June 2025. [21]
As of 2024 [update] the drug, produced by Gilead, costs US$42,250 for the first year. A study presented in July 2024 [22] found that mass production of a generic version would allow a profit margin of 30% on an annual price of $40 if used by 10 million people. The authors said that lowering HIV levels significantly would probably require 60 million people to take the drug preventatively. [23]
As of 2021, it is in phase II/III clinical trials. [24] It is being investigated as a treatment for HIV patients infected with multidrug-resistant virus and as a twice-yearly injectable for pre-exposure prophylaxis. [24] [25]
Studies have been conducted for the use of lenacapavir in treatment-naive individuals. [26] For virally suppressed individuals switching treatment, early studies have tested lenacapavir injections in combination with infusions of the broadly neutralizing antibodies teropavimab and zinlirvimab [27] as well as lenacapavir with islatravir. [28]
A phase III clinical trial study examined efficacy for pre-exposure HIV prevention (PrEP). [29] [30] [31] [32] It found an incidence rate ratio of 0.00 (as no cases occurred in the lenacapavir group) with a 95% confidence interval of 0.00-0.04 with p<.001. Injection site reactions led to discontinuation by 0.2% of lenacapavir patients
Another lenacapavir phase III study, examined the incidence compared to the background rate for men persons. [33] It found an incidence rate ratio of 0.04 with a 95% confidence interval of 0.01 to 0.18, at p<.001. Injection site reactions led to discontinuation by 1.2% of patients.
Lenacapavir has been found to be effective as HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in heterosexual cisgender women in Africa. [34] Further studies are ongoing assessing effectiveness in men who have sex with men and people who inject drugs. [35]