Key takeaways

  • Apretude is a long-acting injectable medication used to prevent HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) infection in adults and some children who are at high risk of contracting the virus.
  • Apretude is generally safe but may cause side effects, including mild injection site reactions, headaches, or more serious issues like liver problems and severe allergic reactions.
  • Apretude injections are given by a healthcare professional every two months. Apretude should be used in conjunction with other HIV prevention methods for maximum protection.

Apretude (cabotegravir) is an antiretroviral medication that is used as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to help prevent HIV (human immunodeficiency virus).

Apretude comes as a suspension (a type of liquid mixture) that’s given via an injection into the muscle of your buttock by a healthcare professional. It contains the active ingredient cabotegravir, which belongs to a class of drugs called integrase inhibitors. (An active ingredient is what makes a medication work.)

Apretude is a brand-name medication. A generic version of the drug isn’t currently available.

Apretude has a boxed warning. A boxed warning is the most serious warning from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). For details, see the “Apretude precautions and warnings” section.

Apretude is used for preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in adults and children ages 12 years and older who weigh at least 35 kilograms (about 77 pounds).

PrEP is the use of antiretroviral drugs to help prevent HIV. PrEP is used by people who haven’t already been exposed to HIV but have a high risk of contracting it.

Specifically, Apretude is used to treat people who are at risk for contracting HIV-1 through sexual activity. (HIV-1 is the most common type of HIV.)

Your doctor will give you an HIV test before each Apretude injection. They’ll give you Apretude injections only if your HIV test is negative.

About HIV

HIV is a virus that affects your immune system. It damages certain cells and makes it more difficult for your body to fight off infections.

HIV can spread between people in various ways, including sexual activity or sharing needles with a person who has HIV.

Apretude lowers your risk of contracting HIV by helping to prevent the virus from entering your body’s cells and making copies of itself.

Your doctor will recommend the dosage of Apretude that’s right for you. Below are commonly used dosages, but your doctor will determine the dosage you receive.

Form and strength

Apretude comes as a long-acting suspension. The drug may stay in your body for 12 months or longer after stopping treatment. It’s given as an injection into your buttock muscle by a healthcare professional, likely at a doctor’s office or clinic. You won’t give yourself injections of the drug.

Apretude is available in one strength: 600 milligrams (mg) per 3 milliliters (mL) of suspension. This may also be written as 200 mg/mL.

Recommended dosages

Before your first Apretude injection, your doctor may prescribe oral tablets of cabotegravir (the active ingredient in Apretude) tablets for you to take. If this applies to you, you’ll take the tablets once per day for about 1 month. This will help your doctor determine whether the drug might cause side effects that are severe or bothersome.

If you don’t have severe or bothersome side effects with cabotegravir tablets, your doctor will switch you to Apretude injections. You’ll receive your first Apretude injection within 3 days of your last dose of the tablets.

If you don’t take cabotegravir tablets, your doctor can tell you when you’ll receive your first Apretude injection.

When starting treatment with Apretude injections, you’ll receive 600 mg (one injection) once per month for two doses. After that, you’ll receive one 600-mg injection once every 2 months.

Like most drugs, Apretude may cause mild or serious side effects. The following lists describe some of the more common side effects that Apretude may cause. These lists don’t include all possible side effects.

Keep in mind that side effects of a drug can depend on:

  • your age
  • other health conditions you have
  • other medications you take

Most common side effects

The most common side effects of Apretude found in clinical studies of the drug included:

injection site reactions (such as pain, swelling, bruising, warmth, and discoloration around the injection site)

Mild side effects of many drugs may go away within a few days to a couple of weeks. But if they become bothersome, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Serious side effects

Serious side effects that have been reported with Apretude include:

Serious side effects from Apretude can occur, but they aren’t common. If you have serious side effects from Apretude, call your doctor right away. But if you think you’re having a medical emergency, you should call 911 or your local emergency number.

Help is out there

If you or someone you know is in crisis and considering suicide or self-harm, please seek support:

  • Call or text the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. Caring counselors are available to listen and provide free and confidential support 24/7.
  • Text HOME to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 to connect with a volunteer crisis counselor for free and confidential support 24/7.
  • Not in the United States? Find a helpline in your country with Befrienders Worldwide.
  • Call 911 or your local emergency services number if you feel safe to do so.

If you’re calling on behalf of someone else, stay with them until help arrives. You may remove weapons or substances that can cause harm if you can do so safely.

If you’re not in the same household, stay on the phone with them until help arrives.

Prescription drug prices can vary depending on many factors. These include what your insurance plan covers and the cost of your visit to a healthcare professional to receive injections of the drug.

Here are a few things to consider regarding cost:

  • Drug coupons: You may be able to find drug coupons on prescription discount websites that can reduce the cost of your medication. These coupons cannot be used with insurance copays or benefits, but the discounted price may be lower than what you would pay through insurance.
  • Financial assistance: Some websites provide details about drug assistance programs, ways to make the most of your insurance coverage, and links to savings cards and other services. Two such websites are:
  • Manufacturer savings program: ViiV Healthcare (the manufacturer of Apretude) offers an Apretude Savings Program that you may be eligible for. Visit the company’s website or call 800-790-8997 for more information.

Optum Perks is owned by RVO Health. By clicking on this link, we may receive a commission. Learn more.

Here are answers to some commonly asked questions about Apretude.

What should I know about alternatives to Apretude, such as Truvada or Descovy?

Below are a few details about alternatives to Apretude.

Apretude is used for preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP). PrEP is the use of antiretroviral drugs to help prevent HIV. It’s used in people who haven’t already been exposed to HIV but have a high risk of contracting it.

Three other medications are also approved for PrEP:

  • emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (Truvada)
  • emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide (Descovy)
  • lenacapavir (Yeztugo)

Apretude is given as an injection into your buttock muscle. You’ll generally receive Apretude injections once every 2 months. But Descovy and Truvada are taken once per day and come as tablets that you swallow.

If you have questions about other ways that Apretude compares with Truvada and Descovy, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

How does Apretude compare with Cabenuva?

Apretude and Cabenuva are two drugs that contain cabotegravir as an active ingredient. (An active ingredient is what makes a drug work.) But Cabenuva also contains a second active ingredient called rilpivirine.

Both drugs are given as an injection into your muscle. But Apretude and Cabenuva are used for different reasons:

  • Apretude is used for preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP). PrEP is the use of antiretroviral drugs to help prevent HIV. It’s given to people who haven’t already been exposed to HIV but have a high risk of contracting it.
  • Cabenuva is used to treat HIV in people who already have this condition.

To learn more about how Apretude compares with Cabenuva, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Is Apretude used to treat HIV?

No, Apretude is not used to treat HIV.

Apretude is only approved for preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP). PrEP is the use of antiretroviral drugs to help prevent HIV in people who don’t already have this condition. (“Antiretroviral” is a term used to describe HIV medications.)

Your doctor will give you an HIV test before each Apretude injection. They’ll give you Apretude injections only if your HIV test is negative. The drug is not used in people who have HIV.

If you’re found to have HIV while using Apretude, your doctor will stop your Apretude treatment. They’ll have you switch to a different drug that treats this condition.

It’s important to note that Apretude has a boxed warning for the risk of drug resistance when it’s used in people with HIV. To learn more, see the “Apretude precautions and warnings” section below.

When considering treatment with Apretude, there are a few things you may want to discuss with your doctor. These include:

  • any medical conditions you have
  • any medications you take
  • your overall health

These factors and others are discussed in more detail below.

Interactions

Taking a medication with certain vaccines, foods, and other things can affect how the medication works. These effects are called interactions.

Before using Apretude, be sure to tell your doctor about all medications you take, including prescription and over-the-counter types. Also describe any vitamins, herbs, or supplements you use. Your doctor or pharmacist can tell you about any interactions these items may cause with Apretude.

For information about drug-condition interactions, see the “Other Warnings” section below.

Interactions with drugs or supplements

Apretude can interact with several kinds of drugs. These drugs include:

  • certain seizure medications, such as:
    • phenobarbital, phenytoin (Dilantin)
    • carbamazepine (Carbatrol, Epitol, Tegretol)
  • certain antibiotics, such as rifampin (Rifadin, Rimactane), rifapentine (Priftin), and rifabutin (Mycobutin)
  • the opioid drug methadone (Methadose)

This list doesn’t contain all types of drugs that may interact with Apretude. Your doctor or pharmacist can tell you more about these interactions and any others that may occur with Apretude treatment.

Boxed warning: Risk of drug resistance when used for PrEP in people with undiagnosed HIV

Apretude has a boxed warning. This is a serious warning from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about drug effects that may be dangerous.

Apretude has a risk of drug resistance when it’s used for preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in people with undiagnosed HIV. With HIV drug resistance, HIV medications may not work as well to treat this condition.

For this reason, your doctor will give you an HIV test before each Apretude injection. They’ll give you Apretude injections only if your HIV test is negative.

If you have symptoms of HIV while receiving Apretude injections for PrEP, contact your doctor right away. Possible symptoms include:

If you’re found to have HIV while using Apretude, your doctor will stop your Apretude treatment. They’ll have you switch to a different drug that treats this condition.

Other warnings

Apretude can sometimes cause harmful effects in people who have certain conditions. This is known as a drug-condition interaction. Other factors may also affect whether Apretude is a good treatment option for you.

Talk with your doctor about your health history before Apretude treatment. Be sure to tell them if any of the following factors apply to you:

Apretude and alcohol

There’s no known interaction between Apretude and alcohol. But drinking alcohol with Apretude may raise your risk of certain side effects. These include nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and headache.

Rarely, Apretude may cause new or worsened liver damage. Drinking large amounts of alcohol can also raise your risk of liver damage. So drinking alcohol during Apretude treatment could raise this risk even more.

If you drink alcohol, talk with your doctor about how much (if any) may be safe to drink during your Apretude treatment.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding

It’s not known whether Apretude is safe to receive while pregnant or breastfeeding. It’s important to note that this drug can stay in your body for 12 months or longer after your last dose. If you have questions about receiving Apretude during pregnancy or while breastfeeding, talk with your doctor.

If you receive Apretude during pregnancy, consider enrolling in the Antiretroviral Pregnancy Registry. (“Antiretroviral” is a term used to describe HIV medications.) This registry collects information about the safety of treatment with certain drugs, such as Apretude, during pregnancy.

To learn more, talk with your doctor. You can also visit the registry’s website or call 800-258-4263.

Using Apretude while practicing other methods of HIV prevention can reduce the risk of HIV even more. Examples of other methods include:

  • limiting the number of sexual partners
  • using latex condoms or dental dams
  • getting HIV tests on a regular basis*

To learn more about using Apretude with other methods of HIV prevention, talk with your doctor.

Disclaimer: Healthline has made every effort to make certain that all information is factually correct, comprehensive, and up to date. However, this article should not be used as a substitute for the knowledge and expertise of a licensed healthcare professional. You should always consult your doctor or another healthcare professional before taking any medication. The drug information contained herein is subject to change and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. The absence of warnings or other information for a given drug does not indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for all patients or all specific uses.