Mason
A real patient on oral PrEP who struggles taking pills every day.
KOL Testimonial Video: Mason
Mason: When I first heard about APRETUDE, definitely got excited.
SUPER:
All participants compensated by ViiV Healthcare.
AVO:
APRETUDE is for PrEP to reduce the risk of sexually acquired HIV infection for HIV-negative adults and adolescents who weigh at least 35 kg and are at risk of sexually acquiring HIV.
SUPER: INDICATION
APRETUDE is indicated in at-risk adults and adolescents weighing at least 35 kg for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to reduce the risk of sexually acquired HIV-1 infection. Individuals must have a negative HIV-1 test prior to initiating APRETUDE (with or without an oral lead-in with oral cabotegravir) for HIV-1 PrEP.
AVO:
There is a Boxed Warning for APRETUDE, shown in full here, which describes a risk of drug resistance if APRETUDE is used in people with HIV. Don’t give APRETUDE or oral cabotegravir until the patient is confirmed to be HIV negative with a test that can diagnose acute or primary HIV. Any individual diagnosed with HIV must begin a complete HIV treatment.
SUPER: BOXED WARNING: RISK OF DRUG RESISTANCE WITH USE OF APRETUDE FOR HIV-1 PRE-EXPOSURE PROPHYLAXIS (PrEP) IN UNDIAGNOSED HIV-1 INFECTION Individuals must be tested for HIV-1 infection prior to initiating APRETUDE or oral cabotegravir, and with each subsequent injection of APRETUDE, using a test approved or cleared by the FDA for the diagnosis of acute or primary HIV-1 infection. Drug-resistant HIV-1 variants have been identified with use of APRETUDE by individuals with undiagnosed HIV-1 infection. Do not initiate APRETUDE for HIV-1 PrEP unless negative infection status is confirmed. Individuals who become infected with HIV-1 while receiving APRETUDE for PrEP must transition to a complete HIV-1 treatment regimen.
AVO: Keep watching for the remaining select safety information.
SUPER: Keep watching for the remaining select safety information.
Please see full Prescribing Information, including Boxed Warning, for APRETUDE on this website.
Mason: Hey, I’m Mason. I’m 25, actually, no, just turned 26. I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. I grew up in the suburbs, but everyone just says Cleveland because no one knows what Strongsville, Ohio, is. I lived there until I was 18, and then I moved to New York City right after.
I grew up dancing and now I work in film. I film dancers for, for a living. And it’s...it’s amazing.
SUPER: Mason
On daily oral PrEP
Mason: My PrEP journey really began when I started hearing about it from my friends. Getting to New York and realizing, like, there’s a lot of people in New York City. And I’m a young guy, so I was like, I want to explore, I want to date, but I want to do that in a way that, that is safe. And I didn’t have a doctor in New York. I didn’t feel like I could pick up the phone and call someone and just be like, hey, can we schedule an appointment? I think, you know, my PrEP journey really has been kind of like a self-start sort of moment. I saw an ad on social media that kind of directed me to an organization that got me hooked up with an appointment.
SUPER: PrEP=pre-exposure prophylaxis.
Mason: The doctor who is helping me out with this PrEP journey is actually not my primary care provider. When I go to see him, when I go to that facility, it’s really the entire visit is kind of centered around, you know, my PrEP experience. With the consistency of taking PrEP, you know, if I’m on a shoot late at night one day and wake up late the next morning, I might forget to take my dose. Or if I’m out celebrating with some friends and have a little bit of a wild night. It’s just kind of like those life moments that are unpredictable that would throw me off track.
So my doctor never really said anything about APRETUDE to me. As a queer person, I would just love for my doctor to be like, hey, here’s all your options. You know, have a provider that is going to give me, you know, a full array of options that, you know, might benefit me or work better for my life. When I first heard about APRETUDE, definitely got excited.
Mason: You know, the thought of not having to take a pill every single day, that is really appealing to me.
SUPER: APRETUDE is administered as an intramuscular injection by a healthcare professional every 2 months after 2 initiation injections administered 1 month apart. Adherence to the dosing schedule is strongly recommended.
Mason: : PrEP for me is the sense of protection, and the fact that it really helps lower the risk of me potentially contracting HIV is really the main draw for me.
You know, you have one body, you know, you have one body, one mind, one set of all of this.
Dr Hodge: My name is Theo Hodge, and I’m an internist. I have a subspecialty in infectious diseases, and currently I’m serving as the medical director at a nonprofit in Washington, DC.
SUPER: Dr Theo Hodge
Internist
Dr Hodge: I have patients like Mason in my practice. You have so many people moving into Washington from the Midwest or rural places. So my patients come in, and they’re like, hey, Dr Hodge, you know what, I couldn’t do any of this stuff when I was living at home with my family and friends. And they’re telling me all the time, well you know, Dr Hodge, I was at the party, I was at the club, and you know what, I don’t know if I took my pill. And for patients like Mason, I think it’s very important that their healthcare provider offer guidance that doesn’t have to be elicited by the patient. And the second thing that was very resonant with me is that the PrEP provider had not mentioned APRETUDE as an option.
Dr Hodge: I think it’s important that all options be presented so that the patient can actively participate in their healthcare. We talk about APRETUDE as an option. What does APRETUDE mean in terms of adherence, because adherence is still just as important for the injectable as they are for the oral options. However, there’s one big difference. The oral option is every day versus the injectable, where it’s every 2 months. And so to me, in terms of providing an option to a patient, giving them the chance not to have to make that choice every day, I think patients like Mason could benefit from APRETUDE.
SUPER: What could APRETUDE mean for your patients like Mason?
AVO: APRETUDE is contraindicated in individuals with unknown or positive HIV status; with previous hypersensitivity reaction to cabotegravir; or with drugs where significant decreases in cabotegravir plasma concentrations may occur. Use APRETUDE as part of a comprehensive HIV prevention strategy. There is a potential risk of resistance if an individual acquires HIV either before, while taking, or following discontinuation of APRETUDE. Test before each injection to confirm HIV-negative status. Reassess risk of HIV acquisition and test before each injection to confirm HIV-negative status.
SUPER:
CONTRAINDICATIONS
APRETUDE is contraindicated in individuals with unknown or positive HIV status; with previous hypersensitivity reaction to cabotegravir; or with drugs where significant decreases in cabotegravir plasma concentrations may occur.
WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS
- Use APRETUDE as part of a comprehensive HIV prevention strategy.
- There is a potential risk of resistance if an individual acquires HIV either before, while taking, or following discontinuation of APRETUDE. Test before each injection to confirm HIV-negative status. Reassess risk of HIV acquisition and test before each injection to confirm HIV-negative status.
AVO: Because APRETUDE is long-acting, residual concentrations of cabotegravir may remain in the systemic circulation up to 12 months or longer. Hypersensitivity has been reported with other integrase inhibitors, and hepatotoxicity has been reported with cabotegravir. Discontinue immediately if signs or symptoms of either develop. Depressive disorders have been reported. Prompt evaluation is recommended. The most common adverse reactions, all grades, observed in at least 1 percent of patients, were injection site reactions, diarrhea, headache, pyrexia, fatigue, sleep disorders, nausea, dizziness, flatulence, abdominal pain, vomiting, myalgia, rash, decreased appetite, somnolence, back pain, and upper respiratory tract infection.
SUPER:
- Because APRETUDE is long-acting, residual concentrations of cabotegravir may remain in the systemic circulation up to 12 months or longer.
- Hypersensitivity has been reported with other integrase inhibitors, and hepatotoxicity has been reported with cabotegravir. Discontinue immediately if signs or symptoms of either develop.
- Depressive disorders have been reported. Prompt evaluation is recommended.
ADVERSE REACTIONS
The most common adverse reactions, all grades, observed in at least 1 percent of patients, were injection site reactions, diarrhea, headache, pyrexia, fatigue, sleep disorders, nausea, dizziness, flatulence, abdominal pain, vomiting, myalgia, rash, decreased appetite, somnolence, back pain, and upper respiratory tract infection.
AVO: : Refer to the full PI for important drug interactions with APRETUDE. Drugs that induce UGT1A1 may significantly decrease plasma concentration.
If patient is breastfeeding an infant, assess the benefit-risk of using APRETUDE. APRETUDE is not recommended for use in pediatric individuals weighing less than 35 kilograms.
Please see the full Important Safety Information and Prescribing Information, including Boxed Warning, on this website.
SUPER:
DRUG INTERACTIONS
Refer to the full PI for important drug interactions with APRETUDE. Drugs that induce UGT1A1* may significantly decrease plasma concentration.
*uridine diphosphate glucuronosyltransferase
USE IN SPECIFIC POPULATIONS
If patient is breastfeeding an infant, assess the benefit-risk of using APRETUDE. APRETUDE
is not recommended for use in pediatric individuals weighing less than 35 kilograms.
Please see the full Important Safety Information and Prescribing Information, including Boxed Warning, on this website.
SUPER: APRETUDE logo
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CBTVID220032 March 2023
Produced in USA.