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 is designed for adults and young people at risk of HIV who cannot take oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (Prep). It is already available on the NHS in Scotland.
Health secretary Wes Streeting hailed the approval as “gamechanging,” calling it a crucial step toward ending HIV transmission in England by 2030. “For vulnerable people unable to take other prevention methods, this represents hope,” he said.
According to draft guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice), final approval is expected later this year, with rollout beginning about three months afterward.
More than 111,000 people accessed Prep in England’s sexual health clinics in 2024 — a 7% rise from the previous year, according to the UK Health Security Agency.
“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. She added that around 1,000 people in England who cannot take daily Prep will benefit from the new injection each year.
