A long-acting HIV prevention injection is set to be approved for use in England and Wales, offering a new alternative to daily pills for people at risk of infection.
The jab, known as cabotegravir (CAB-LA), is administered every two months and provides protection against HIV for those unable to take standard oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) recommended its use in draft guidance released on Friday.
Already available on the NHS in Scotland, the injection could be rolled out in England and Wales within three months of final approval later this year.
Health secretary Wes Streeting called the treatment “gamechanging,” adding: “For vulnerable people unable to use other HIV prevention methods, this represents hope. England will be the first country to end HIV transmissions by 2030, and this breakthrough is a key step toward that goal.”
According to the UK Health Security Agency, more than 111,000 people accessed PrEP through sexual health clinics in 2024 — a 7% rise from the previous year.
Helen Knight, Nice’s director of medicines evaluation, said HIV “remains a serious public health challenge,” but the injection offers an effective option for the roughly 1,000 people in England unable to take daily PrEP pills.
Up to 1,000 people a year are expected to benefit from the new treatment once it becomes available.
