A long-acting injection to prevent HIV is set to be approved for use in England and Wales, offering an alternative to daily oral medication.
The treatment, known as cabotegravir (CAB-LA), is administered every two months and provides a new option for people unable to take traditional daily PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) pills. PrEP is used by HIV-negative individuals to reduce the risk of infection.
In new draft guidance, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) recommended the injection for adults and young people at higher risk of HIV who cannot use oral PrEP. The jab is already available on the NHS in Scotland.
Health secretary Wes Streeting called the decision “gamechanging.” He said, “For vulnerable people unable to take other methods of HIV prevention, this represents hope. England will be the first country to end HIV transmissions by 2030, and this breakthrough treatment is another powerful tool to reach that goal.”
According to the UK Health Security Agency, more than 111,000 people accessed PrEP in England in 2024 — a 7% rise from the previous year. Nice estimates that about 1,000 people a year could benefit from the new injection once rollout begins, expected around three months after final approval later this year.
Helen Knight, Nice’s director of medicines evaluation, said HIV “remains a serious public health challenge, but we now have powerful tools to prevent new infections.”
