First and only long-acting HIV prevention announced by NICE

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The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) issued positive recommendation for Apretude, the first and only long-acting injectable pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), for use on the NHS in England and Wales on 17 October.

ViiV Healthcare’s Apretude (cabotegravir) is administered through an injection six times per year after initiation and has been shown in two large clinical trials to be more effective at preventing new cases of HIV than daily oral tenofovir disoproxil fumarate/emtricitabine. 

This comes at a time where despite 2024 data showing an encouraging reduction in HIV transmissions, more needs to be done to meet the UK Government’s ambitious goal of eliminating new HIV transmissions by 20230. Apretude could be particularly effective for those who cannot take oral PrEP daily. 

More needs to be done to prevent the transmission of HIV, especially in women, Black African communities, and other ethnic minority groups, where new HIV transmissions continue to occur and there are inequities in PrEP uptake,” said Juddy Otti, head of HIV services at Africa Advocacy Foundation and project lead at Sophia Forum UK. “It is vital that we provide choice to suit different needs.”