Cabotegravir

Y. Vivian Tsai, Pharm.D.

INDICATIONS

FDA

  • Prevention of HIV-1 infection for at-risk adults and adolescents weighing at least 35 kg. Individuals must have a negative HIV-1 test prior to initiating cabotegravir with or without an oral lead-in with oral cabotegravir.
    • If an antigen/antibody-specific test is used and provides negative results, then such negative results should be confirmed using an RNA-specific assay, even if the results of the RNA-assay are available after intramuscular or oral cabotegravir administration.

NON-FDA APPROVED USES

  • None

FORMS

brand name

preparation

manufacturer

route

form

dosage^

cost*

Apretude

Cabotegravir

ViiV Healthcare

Intramuscular gluteal

Suspension

600 mg/3 mL

$1,610.09/3 mL

Vocabria

Cabotegravir

ViiV Healthcare

Oral

Tablet

30 mg

$0

*Prices represent cost per unit specified, are representative of "Average Wholesale Price" (AWP).
^Dosage is indicated in mg unless otherwise noted.

USUAL ADULT DOSING

  • Cabotegravir 600 mg injection x1 dose monthly for 2 months followed by every other month thereafter.
  • If oral lead-in cabotegravir is used (28 days), initiate the first dose on the last day or within 3 days of oral-lead in phase.
  • Individuals may be given the subsequent cabotegravir injections up to 7 days before or after the date the individual is scheduled to receive the injection.

Missed Injections

  • If second injection is missed and time since first injection is:
    • ≤2 months: administer intramuscular cabotegravir 600 mg injection as soon as possible, then continue to follow the every other month injection schedule.
    • >2 months: restart intramuscular cabotegravir 600 mg injection monthly x2 doses, followed by every every month injection thereafter.
  • If third or subsequent injection is missed and time since prior injection is:
    • ≤3 months: administer intramuscular cabotegravir 600 mg injection as soon as possible, then continue to follow the every other month injection schedule.
    • >3 months: restart intramuscular cabotegravir 600 mg injection monthly x2 doses, followed by every every month injection thereafter.

RENAL DOSING

DOSING IN HEMODIALYS

  • No adjustment needed in hemodialysis.

DOSING IN PERITONEAL DIALYSIS

  • No adjustment needed in peritoneal dialysis.

DOSING IN RENAL REPLACEMENT THERAPY

  • No adjustment needed in hemofiltration.

Other Adult Renal Dosing

  • No adjustment needed for renal dysfunction.

ADVERSE DRUG REACTIONS

GENERAL

  • The most common adverse drug reaction to intramuscular cabotegravir/rilpvirine injection is local injection site reaction (38-82%) based on clinical trials (The HPTN 083[3] and HPTN 084[2]).
  • Other warnings/precautions include hypersensitivity reactions, hepatotoxicity, and depressive disorders.

COMMON

  • Local injection site reaction

OCCASIONAL

  • Hepatotoxicity

RARE

  • Hypersensitivity
  • Depressive disorders

DRUG INTERACTIONS

  • Cabotegravir is contraindicated in patients receiving concurrent medications that may significantly decrease the plasma concentration through UGT1A1 that results in increased risk for loss of virologic response.
Drug-to-Drug Interactions*

Drug

Effect of Interaction

Recommendations/Comments

Carbamazepine

Decreases cabotegravir plasma concentration

Contraindication

Oxcarbazepine

Decreases cabotegravir plasma concentration

Contraindication

Phenobarbital

Decreases cabotegravir plasma concentration

Contraindication

Phenytoin

Decreases cabotegravir plasma concentration

Contraindication

Rifampin

Decreases cabotegravir plasma concentration

Contraindication

Rifapentin

Decreases cabotegravir plasma concentration

Contraindication

*Table includes potentially significant interactions but is not all inclusive.

SPECTRUM

  • HIV

RESISTANCE

  • In the HPTN 083 trial[3], INSTI resistance-associated substitutions were detected from 5 subjects who achieved target plasma concentrations of cabotegravir and included R263K, E138A+Q148R, E138K+Q148K, G140A+Q148R, E138K+Q148K, L74I+E138E/K+G140G/S+Q148R+R157Q.

PHARMACOLOGY

MECHANISM

  • Cabotegravir inhibits HIV-1 integrase by binding to the integrase active site and blocking the strand transfer strep of the DNA integration.

PHARMACOKINETIC PARAMETERS

Absorption

  • Median Tmax = 7 days

Metabolism and Excretion

  • Cabotegravir is primarily metabolized through UGT1A1.
  • Cabotegravir is primarily eliminated in feces as unchanged drug (47%).

Protein Binding

  • Cabotegravir is highly protein bound (>99%).

Cmax, Cmin, and AUC

  • Geometric mean AUC (5th; 9th percentile)
    • Monthly injection of cabotegravir 400 mg: 2,415 mcg h/mL (1,494; 3,645).
    • Every other month injection of cabotegravir 600 mg: 3,764 mcg h/mL (2,431; 5,837).
  • Geometric mean Cmax (5th; 9th percentile)
    • Monthly injection of cabotegravir 400 mg: 1.89 mcg/mL (0.438; 5.69).
    • Every other month injection of cabotegravir 600 mg: 4.0 mcg/mL (2.3; 6.8).

T1/2

  • Mean T1/2 = 5.6-11.5 weeks

Distribution

  • Blood-to-plasma ratio = 0.52
  • Median CSF-to-plasma concentration = 0.003

DOSING FOR DECREASED HEPATIC FUNCTION

  • No dosing adjustment needed for hepatic dysfunction.

PREGNANCY RISK

  • There are insufficient human data on the use of cabotegravir/rilpivirine during pregnancy to adequately assess a drug-associated risk of birth defects and miscarriage.

BREAST FEEDING COMPATIBILITY

  • It is not known if cabotegravir is present in human breast milk, affects human milk production, or has effects on the breastfed infant. However animal data suggest that cabotegravir is detectable in the plasma of nursing pups on lactation day 10 in the rate pre- and postnatal development study.

COMMENTS

  • Intramuscular cabotegravir injection must be administered by a healthcare provider.

Basis for recommendation

  1. FDA Label: https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2021/215499s000lbl.pdf Accessed February 27, 2025

    Comment:



References

  1. Delany-Moretlwe S, Hughes JP, Bock P, et al. Cabotegravir for the prevention of HIV-1 in women: results from HPTN 084, a phase 3, randomised clinical trial. Lancet. 2022;399(10337):1779-1789.  [PMID:35378077]

    Comment: In this phase 3, randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, active controlled, superiority trial (The HPTN 084 trial), the incidence of HIV-1 infection was compared in female adults at risk for HIV-1 infection who received either daily oral tenofovir disoproxil fumarate 300 mg/emtricitabine 200 mg or every other month intramuscular cabotegravir 600 mg injection. Those randomized to intramuscular cabotegravir injection group received 5 weeks of daily oral cabotegravir 30 mg lead-in followed by monthly intramuscular cabotegravir 600 mg injection for 2 months prior to transitoning to every other month injection. Eligible participants had at least two episodes of vaginal intercourse in the previous 30 days, nonreactive test results with at least one HIV rapid antibody test, a laboratory-based atnigen-antibody test, and an undetectable HIV RNA up to 14 days before enrollement. The incidence of HIV-1 infection was higher in the dialy oral tenofovir disoproxil fumarate compared to the every other month intramuscular cabotegravir injection groups (1.85% vs 0.20%, HR 0.12 (95% Cl 0.05-0.31, p< 0.001)).

  2. Landovitz RJ, Donnell D, Clement ME, et al. Cabotegravir for HIV Prevention in Cisgender Men and Transgender Women. N Engl J Med. 2021;385(7):595-608.  [PMID:34379922]

    Comment: In this phase 2b-3, randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, multicenter, active controlled, noninferiority trial (The HPTN 083 trial), the incidence of HIV-1 infection was compared in adult cisgender MSM and transgender women at risk for HIV infection who received either daily oral tenofovir disoproxil fumarate 300 mg/emtricitabine 200 mg or every other month intramuscular cabotegravir 600 mg injection. Those randomized to every other month intramuscular cabotegravir injection received 4 weeks of daily oral lead-in cabotegravir 30 mg followed by monthly intramuscular cabotegravir 600 mg injection for 2 months prior to transitioning to every other month injection schedule. Eligible participants had a negative HIV serologic test at enrollment, an undetectable blood HIV RNA viral load within 14 days before trial entry, and CrCl >60 ml/min. The cohort consisted primarily MSM (87.4%). At week 161, the incidence of HIV-1 infection was higher in the daily oral tenofovir disoproxil fumarate/emtricitabine than every other month intramuscular cabotegravir injection groups (1.22/100 person-years vs 0.41/100 person -years respectively, HR 0.34 (95% Cl 0.18-0.62, p< 0.001). 81.4% of the intrasmuscular cabotegravir injection group experienced injection-site reactions.

Last updated: March 19, 2025