Taking SUNLENCA®

What to expect when starting treatment

Take your shot with SUNLENCA

There are 2 approaches to starting treatment with SUNLENCA. Your healthcare provider will discuss the options for starting SUNLENCA with you.

To start SUNLENCA, you will take SUNLENCA pills (300 mg each) in addition to receiving injections. You can take the SUNLENCA pills by mouth, with or without food. SUNLENCA pills will be delivered through a specialty pharmacy either to your home or to your provider’s office. Be sure to work with your healthcare team to coordinate delivery from the specialty pharmacy.

INITIATION OPTION 1:
Same-day start

DAY 1

START SUNLENCA

Take 2 SUNLENCA pills (300 mg each) and receive first set of SUNLENCA injections (2 shots total)

DAY 2

Take 2 more SUNLENCA pills

INITIATION OPTION 2:
Step-by-step start

DAY 1

START SUNLENCA

Take 2 SUNLENCA pills (300 mg each)

DAY 2

Take 2 SUNLENCA pills

DAYS 3-7

No SUNLENCA pills
or injections

DAY 8

Take only 1 SUNLENCA pill (300 mg) 6 days after your last dose

DAYS 9-14

No SUNLENCA pills
or injections

DAY 15

Receive first set of SUNLENCA injections (2 shots total)

Continuing treatment with SUNLENCA

Once you’ve started SUNLENCA, you will get 2 injections from your healthcare provider every 6 months.* Make sure to attend your appointments as scheduled.

MAINTENANCE
SCHEDULE:

Continuing treatment

MONTH 6

CONTINUE SUNLENCA

Receive
SUNLENCA injections

MONTHS 7-12

No SUNLENCA
pills or injections.
Continue other
HIV medications
as prescribed.

REPEAT

Remember, SUNLENCA works with your other HIV-1 medications. Continue to take all of your other HIV-1 medicines as prescribed by your doctor.

Maintenance appointments can be scheduled up to 2 weeks before or 2 weeks after the 6-month mark. If you miss a SUNLENCA appointment, contact your healthcare provider as soon as possible. They’ll determine if and how you should continue with SUNLENCA, including whether temporarily switching to an oral dosage may be an option for you.

What happens if I have to miss one of my injections?

It's important that you attend your planned appointments with your healthcare provider to receive your SUNLENCA injections. If you know that you are going to miss a scheduled 6-month injection visit by more than 2 weeks, call your healthcare provider right away to discuss your treatment options. You may have the option to take SUNLENCA tablets temporarily. This is called oral bridging. During this time, you will take 1 SUNLENCA 300-mg tablet once every 7 days until your injections resume. Talk to your healthcare provider about how to start oral bridging and when to resume your SUNLENCA injections.

Talk to your healthcare provider right away if you cannot attend a scheduled injection appointment. Missing SUNLENCA treatment could allow HIV to change and become harder to treat.

What should I tell my healthcare provider before starting SUNLENCA?

Before receiving or taking SUNLENCA, tell your healthcare provider about all your medical conditions, including:

  • If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if SUNLENCA can harm your unborn baby. Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant during treatment with SUNLENCA.
  • If you are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Talk to your healthcare provider about the risks of breastfeeding during treatment with SUNLENCA.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements, including St. John’s wort. Some medicines may interact with SUNLENCA. Keep a list of your medicines and show it to your healthcare provider.

  • You can ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist for a list of medicines that interact with SUNLENCA.
  • Do not start a new medicine without telling your healthcare provider. Your healthcare provider can tell you if it is safe to take SUNLENCA with other medicines.
  • SUNLENCA may affect certain other medicines for up to 9 months after your last injection.