Injectable PrEP approved - Sexual Health Services Nottingham and Nottinghamshire

Around 1,000 people at risk of HIV will be offered a new long-acting injection on the NHS if they cannot have pills to protect them from the virus.

The rollout of this preventative therapy takes NHS England one step closer to its goal of eliminating HIV transmissions in the next five years.

The cabotegravir injection will be available on the NHS for people who cannot have pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) tablets, in the coming months, following approval by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

PrEP drugs can prevent people who are HIV-negative from acquiring the virus.

Dr Michael Brady, National Advisor for LGBT + Health at NHS England, said: “This long-acting injection is a significant addition to our HIV prevention strategies – giving us a powerful new option for people at risk of HIV who cannot have oral PrEP tablets, and helping ensure everyone who needs PrEP can access it.

“We have made huge progress in HIV treatment and prevention in the last decade, and the addition of injectable PrEP will bring us a step closer to our goal of ending HIV transmissions by 2030″.

Further information

Cabotegravir will only be offered to people who cannot have oral PrEP, for example due to medical contraindications or difficulty swallowing tablets. Other examples might include people unable to take oral PrEP due to being homeless, living in unstable housing or experiencing domestic violence.
Long-acting cabotegravir for PrEP is given as an injection administered six times per year by a healthcare professional
Recent data from UKHSA showed that among gay and bisexual men, new HIV diagnoses in England decreased by 6% from 859 in 2023 to 810 in 2024. Over the same period (between 2023 and 2024), new HIV diagnoses in England among Black African heterosexual men increased by 15% (231 to 265) but decreased by 5% among Black African heterosexual women (441 to 418).
In 2024, 10.6% (146,098 of 1,379,884) of HIV negative people accessing sexual health services needed PrEP of whom 76.1% (111,123) started or continued PrEP.