Anti-retroviral therapy (ART) includes such daily single tablet regimens as Biktarvy and Triumeq, as well as multiple pill plans like Tivicay, Truvada and Descovy.
What has been accomplished with these drugs is nothing short of a miracle. People who once felt they were biding their time and death was waiting around the corner, now see long full lives ahead of them.
But all of these drugs have side effects and just keeping up with taking the pills on a daily basis can be daunting.
For example, the drugs mentioned above, which are beneficial in many ways, can have potential side effects, such as impacting liver and kidney function and causing GI issues.
“I’ve been having some really nasty GI issues, insane fatigue that is interfering with my life, strange random muscle pain and a fluttering heart rate that has honestly scared the shit out of me more times than once,” wrote Jeemo, a participant on a social media thread about side effects from HIV related medications. “I don’t think being on [this medication] is worthwhile for me.”
There is an alternative.
Sunlenca, also marketed under the names Yeztugo and Lenacapavir, is FDA approved and used for patients who are HIV negative and want to avoid infection; and those who are HIV positive, specifically for those with multi-drug-resistant HIV. Most importantly, it can be taken as an injection twice a year, and it has been approved for coverage by NC Medicaid.
It does have some side effects, most commonly reactions at the injection site; nausea, itching and headaches. Most side effects are mild to moderate in severity, but studies show they can potentially occur in up to 65 percent of patients.
More serious but less common side effects include Immune Reconstitution Inflammatory Syndrome (IRIS); improper injection technique, which can lead to severe skin damage (necrosis) or open sores and allergic reactions creating symptoms like difficulty breathing, swelling of the face, lips, tongue, or throat, or a severe rash. Keep in mind those are reported as very rare.
What the medication does allow you is freedom from taking a daily pill. Be aware: If you don’t have health insurance, the list price for Yeztugo is over $14,000 per injection, adding up to a total of somewhere around $28,000 per year for the recommended two injections.
Amid that mix of good and bad news, there is another positive aspect: the drug manufacturer, Gilead Sciences, offers a patient assistance program that provides Yeztugo at no cost to eligible individuals who are uninsured or underinsured.
Last bit of advice, talk with your physician and determine if it’s an alternative that will possibly work for you physically, and you can financially qualify.