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, known as cabotegravir (CAB-LA), is administered every two months and provides a new option for people unable to take oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommended the jab in draft guidance released on Friday. It is already available on the NHS in Scotland.
Health secretary Wes Streeting hailed the move as “gamechanging,” calling it a vital step toward England’s goal of ending HIV transmissions by 2030. “For vulnerable people who are unable to take other methods of HIV prevention, this represents hope,” he said.
NICE expects the rollout to begin about three months after final approval later this year.
More than 111,000 people accessed PrEP in England in 2024 — a 7% increase on the previous year, according to the UK Health Security Agency. NICE estimates up to 1,000 people annually could benefit from the injection.
“HIV remains a serious public health challenge, but we now have powerful tools to prevent new infections,” said Helen Knight, NICE’s director of medicines evaluation. “This injection offers an effective option for people who can’t take daily oral PrEP.”
