A long-acting injection to prevent HIV is set to be approved for use in England and Wales, offering a major alternative to the daily pills currently used for protection against the virus.
The treatment, called cabotegravir (CAB-LA), is administered every two months and works as a form of PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) for HIV-negative people at high risk of infection. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) has recommended the jab in new draft guidance for adults and young people who cannot take oral PrEP.
Already available on the NHS in Scotland, the injection is expected to launch in England and Wales about three months after Nice’s final approval later this year.
Health secretary Wes Streeting hailed the move as “gamechanging.”
“For vulnerable people unable to take other forms of HIV prevention, this represents hope,” he said. “England will be the first country to end HIV transmissions by 2030, and this breakthrough is another powerful tool to achieve that goal.”
More than 111,000 people accessed PrEP through sexual health clinics in England last year, a 7% rise from 2023, according to the UK Health Security Agency.
Helen Knight, director of medicines evaluation at Nice, said HIV “remains a serious public health challenge,” but the new injection “offers an effective option” for around 1,000 people in England who cannot use oral PrEP due to medical or personal barriers.
Up to 1,000 people are expected to benefit from CAB-LA each year once the rollout begins.
