Lenacapavir is the first of a new class of drugs called capsid inhibitors to be FDA-approved for treating HIV-1. The drug blocks the HIV-1 virus protein shell and interferes with essential steps of the virus evolution. Lenacapavir is administered only twice annually, but it is also combined with other antiretrovirals. After the initial doses are completed — given both orally and via subcutaneous injection — the drug is administered by injection every 6 months. The injections and oral tablets of lenacapavir are estimated to cost $42,250 in the first year of treatment and then $39,000 annually in the subsequent years.