About injectable HIV treatment: lenacapavir

Lenacapavir is safe

Injectable HIV treatment is safe and effective at controlling HIV.

Only 2 doses per year

Used in combination with other HIV treatment medications, pills or shots.

Ongoing treatment, not a cure

Lenacapavir is an ongoing treatment, not a cure. You must keep using it to control HIV.

What is lenacapavir

Lenacapavir is the generic name of an injectable medication used to treat HIV.
Lenacapavir is not a complete HIV treatment regimen. It must be used in combination with other medicines to treat HIV, like:
- Pills taken every day, orally
- Injectable HIV treatments
Lenacapavir shots (injections) stay in your body longer than daily pills.
You might hear it called LEN (pronounced “len”). The brand name for HIV treatment is Sunlenca. When people take it to prevent HIV (PrEP), the brand name is Yeztugo.

You get the shots in a medical clinic.
Your clinic gets the medication from a specialty pharmacy. You do not need to pick it up from a pharmacy.
2 shots go under your skin, usually in your stomach area (abdomen).

To start, you get 2 shots and take 2 pills. The next day, you take 2 more pills. After starting, you only get the shots every 6 months.
If you are also on another injectable HIV treatment, you can get the lenacapavir shots at the same time.
You can get the shots up to 14 days before or 14 days after your injection due date.

Your provider may prescribe you “oral backup” pills to have on hand, in case you have to miss a shot.
Tell your clinic right away if you cannot get to the clinic when a shot is due. Most providers will have you take your oral backup pills until you can get your next shot.
If you are late, your medical team will tell you what to do next.

Make an appointment for your next shot before you leave the clinic.
Keep your clinic up to date with your cell phone, email, and where you live.
Set a reminder in your phone for your next shot.
Sign up for the clinic’s online patient portal (MyChart) and turn on notifications.
Give your clinic a backup contact in case they cannot reach you.

Once you have had an undetectable viral load while taking HIV medication for at least 6 months, there is no longer any risk of HIV transmission when you have sex. This is called "undetectable equals untransmittable," or U=U.
Learn more about U=U.

The most common side effects are pain and a lump (nodule) where you got the shots.
The lump is a pocket of medication (a “depot”) in the fatty layer under the skin that slowly releases medication over 6 months. Most people have a depot that will last for about 1 year. Even if you do not see or feel one, the medication still works.
Do not massage or squeeze the depot.
You can treat pain with cold packs and take ibuprofen or acetaminophen (pain relievers).
Other possible side effects include itching, swelling, or redness where you got the shots.
Contact your medical team if you develop warm and painful swelling or other symptoms you are concerned about.

If you do not like the shots, talk with your medical team. You will need to keep taking other medications to treat HIV.
If you do not take HIV treatment as prescribed every day after stopping lenacapavir shots, HIV can become resistant to many HIV medications. This can make HIV treatment more complicated.

Medi-Cal, Medicare, and most private health insurance plans cover lenacapavir.
People in San Francisco without insurance or with Healthy SF can also get lenacapavir.
California ADAP can help pay medication and office visit costs, if needed.

Getting the shots on time is essential. Your medical team might not be able to offer you injectable HIV treatment if you cannot make it to clinic regularly.
Some HIV can be resistant to lenacapavir. Your provider will run tests and look at your treatment history to see if your HIV has resistance. If it does, lenacapavir may not be an option for you.
Some medications, supplements, and recreational drugs interact negatively with lenacapavir. Your provider will check for interactions with the medication and drugs you are taking.
If you have hepatitis B, you will need to take oral medication to treat it. Lenacapavir does not treat hepatitis B.

This information is provided by San Francisco City Clinic. Visit our homepage at sf.gov/cityclinic.

Information on this page last revised June 9, 2026