Cabenuva HIV Medication

Generic Name: cabotegravir + rilpivirine

Company: ViiV Healthcare and Janssen Therapeutics

Approval Status: Approved

Generic Version Available: No

Drug Indication

Cabenuva (cabotegravir + rilpivirine) is a long-acting injectable regimen approved as a treatment for HIV. It can be used as an optimization strategy for people who are currently on oral antiretroviral therapy with viral suppression for at least three months, no prior virological failure and no resistance to either drug, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Antiretroviral Guidelines for Adults and Adolescents..

Visit https://aidsinfo.nih.gov/guidelines/html/1/adult-and-adolescent-arv-guidelines/0 for the full DHHS guidelines.

General Info

Cabenuva, cabotegravir, rilpivirine Cabenuva is a long-acting injectable HIV regimen. It contains two different types of HIV drugs: the integrase inhibitor cabotegravir and an injectable version of the NNRTI rilpivirine (sold in pill form as Edurant).

Cabenuva is approved as maintenance therapy for adults living with HIV who have achieved viral suppression (a viral load less than 50) on daily oral treatment and who have no history treatment failure and no known or suspected viral resistance to either cabotegravir or rilpivirine. Cabenuva was approved in January 2021.

Dosage

Dosing Info:

Cabenuva is a long-acting injectable regimen given every four weeks or every eight weeks. It consists of two separate injections in the buttocks administered by a health care provider.

People who wish to switch from their current oral antiretroviral regimen may take cabotegravir pills (known as Vocabria) plus Edurant for a month to ensure that the combination is well tolerated, but this oral lead-in is not required. Studies showed that the regimen was equally safe with or without the lead-in.

Vocabria and Edurant pills can be used as a short-term regimen if someone has to miss a planned Cabenuva injection appointment.

Side Effects

The most common side effect is injection site reactions such as pain, redness or swelling. Other adverse events, including fever, fatigue, headache, and muscle pain, nausea, sleep disorders, dizziness and rash, are less common.

Drug Interactions

For a review of drug interactions, including prescription and over-the-counter medications and supplements that should not be taken with Cabenuva or may require dose adjustments, consult the Cabenuva package insert.