Twice-yearly YEZTUGO access in NYC

Yeztugo initiation, six-month visits and missed injections

Plan for both required initiation days: the first day includes professional injections and oral tablets, and the next day includes oral tablets. Confirm that both tablet doses can be obtained before starting. Continuation injections are every 26 weeks, with a two-week window on either side, and HIV testing is required before each injection. Tell the team about travel and supply problems before the date is missed. The label includes prescribed weekly oral bridging for some delays, up to its defined duration; it is not a general self-directed weekly PrEP replacement. A gap longer than 28 weeks without the required oral bridge can require repeating initiation after HIV reassessment. Contact the prescriber rather than guessing from a calendar or residual drug levels. Keep the long-tail testing and alternative-prevention plan if you stop.

If a Yeztugo continuation injection is delayed

Call the prescriber before the 26-week target when possible and provide the last injection date and all bridging tablets taken. If a delay exceeds the two-week allowance, a prescribed oral bridge or a different restart may be needed. The label's pathway after more than 28 weeks without oral bridging includes HIV reassessment and repeating initiation. Do not replace that decision with a self-designed weekly tablet regimen. If a qualifying HIV exposure has occurred within 72 hours during uncertain protection, seek urgent PEP assessment. Book the next injection, testing and any required initiation tablets as a complete plan.

Yeztugo twice-yearly HIV PrEP

Yeztugo is lenacapavir for prevention of sexually acquired HIV-1 in people who do not have HIV. Treatment starts with injections and tablets, then continues with injections about every six months. It can suit someone who prefers fewer medication visits, provided testing and follow-up remain reliable. Twice-yearly medication does not mean twice-yearly attention to every health concern: a new exposure, symptoms, STI screening or a medication change can require contact sooner.

Eligibility: Yeztugo twice-yearly HIV PrEP

The approved PrEP indication is for adults and adolescents weighing at least 35 kg who are at risk of acquiring HIV through sex. HIV-negative status must be established. Recent exposure, acute viral symptoms, past PrEP/PEP, pregnancy or breastfeeding and all current medicines belong in the evaluation. HIV testing is required before starting and before each injection. A positive or unknown HIV status prevents use as PrEP.

What to expect: Yeztugo twice-yearly HIV PrEP

Confirm HIV status and exposure timing

At initiation, a negative antigen/antibody test is confirmed with HIV RNA testing, even if RNA returns after treatment starts. Before continuation, a negative rapid antigen/antibody test requires confirmation with a more sensitive assay. The clinician determines the complete testing approach and reviews symptoms and any ambiguous results.

Review medicines and practical access

Provide every prescription, over-the-counter medicine and supplement. Some strong or moderate CYP3A inducers require additional clinician-directed dosing under the August 2026 label; other starting combinations have no recommended regimen. Your prescriber must review the actual medicines and sequence.

Complete initiation

The labeled start includes two subcutaneous injections and oral tablets on the first day, followed by oral tablets the next day. Those tablets are part of required initiation, not an optional tolerability trial. A trained professional administers the injections.

Book continuing prevention care

Continuation injections are scheduled every 26 weeks with a two-week allowance on either side. Agree on HIV testing, STI screening and what to do before travel or an access delay.

Preparing for your appointment

Bring previous HIV and STI results, your current prevention regimen, last injection date if applicable and insurance information. Ask how the next-day tablets will be obtained and how to contact the team if you cannot take them. Confirm medication receipt and testing arrangements before an administration visit. The label describes abdominal injections and an alternative thigh site; the administrator chooses an appropriate site using the current instructions.

Risks and when to seek help

The boxed warning concerns resistance if Yeztugo is used during undetected HIV. Report possible acute HIV symptoms immediately rather than waiting for a routine dose. Injection pain, swelling or nodules can occur; some nodules last a long time. Seek urgent care for severe allergic symptoms or a rapidly worsening injection-site reaction. Lenacapavir can affect other medicines long after the last injection, so tell future prescribers when you received it.

Follow-up and treatment review

Call before an injection is overdue. An authorized oral bridge may be used for some planned delays, but the tablets are not a patient-designed substitute for injections. Longer gaps without bridging can require repeating initiation after reassessment. After stopping, residual drug may remain for 12 months or longer. Your clinician plans ongoing HIV testing and alternative prevention while levels decline.

Appointments, costs and coverage

Ask separately about tablet coverage, injectable medication coverage, laboratory testing and administration charges. The supply may require authorization and shipment to an administration site. Assistance programs have eligibility rules and do not prove that a particular clinic or insurer participates. Keep a written transition plan while these steps are completed; confirm actual availability before traveling to a listed location.

Medical sources

• Yeztugo US prescribing information
• NIH lenacapavir patient drug record
• CDC injectable lenacapavir PrEP recommendation
• Gilead investigational once-yearly lenacapavir status
• Gilead weekly oral lenacapavir application status
• CDC HIV testing
• CDC PEP clinical guidance
• CDC clinical guidance for PrEP
• YEZTUGO: working with your healthcare professional