A vaccine that offers long-lasting protection to people most at risk of contracting HIV could soon be offered on the NHS.
The drug, cabotegravir, which is given every two months, is an alternative to the daily pills now given to at-risk groups to prevent them from contracting the life-threatening virus that can cause AIDS.
The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency concluded earlier this month that cabotegravir could be offered as a preventative treatment, and the NHS spending watchdog is now considering whether it should fund the launch of the £1,000-per-dose drug. .
Every year in the UK there are around 4,000 new diagnoses of HIV, a sexually transmitted virus that damages immune cells.
A vaccine that offers long-lasting protection to people most at risk of contracting HIV could soon be offered on the NHS (file photo)
The drug cabotegravir, given every two months, is an alternative to the daily pills now given to at-risk groups (file photo)
Currently, people at increased risk of HIV infection (including HIV-negative men who have unprotected sex with men or the partners of people with HIV) are offered a daily pill known as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). .
The tablets block an enzyme in the body that HIV needs to spread. It costs around £40 for a month’s supply and studies show it reduces the risk of infection by 99 per cent when taken every day.
But experts say the NHS should fund cabotegravir, which blocks the same enzyme as PrEP, as many patients forget to take the tablets. Research suggests that around a fifth of people eligible for PrEP in the UK do not take it as directed.
Dr John McSorley, consultant sexual health expert at London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust, said: “Trials show that cabotegravir is very well tolerated, meaning it causes fewer side effects such as stomach pains. And it could benefit patients who have difficulty remembering to take PrEP.
