{"id":127899,"date":"2025-10-17T11:33:09","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T11:33:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/127899\/"},"modified":"2025-10-17T11:33:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T11:33:09","slug":"first-ever-hiv-blocking-jab-given-nhs-green-light-hailed-a-game-changer-in-fight-to-end-the-virus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/127899\/","title":{"rendered":"First ever HIV-blocking jab given NHS green light – hailed a ‘game-changer’ in fight to end the virus"},"content":{"rendered":"

By BARNEY CALMAN, HEAD OF HEALTH<\/a> <\/p>\n

Published: 03:12 EDT, 17 October 2025 | Updated: 03:23 EDT, 17 October 2025 <\/p>\n

A revolutionary jab that prevents HIV<\/a> will be rolled out on the NHS<\/a> – giving new hope of wiping out the virus within five years.<\/p>\n

The groundbreaking injection – taken once every two months – protects people from contracting HIV with almost 100 per cent effectiveness.<\/p>\n

It will be available at sexual health clinics across England and Wales within months, following approval by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).<\/p>\n

The move marks a major step towards the NHS’s goal of becoming the first health service in the world to eliminate HIV transmission by 2030.<\/p>\n

Called cabotegravir (or CAB-LA), the jab works by blocking an enzyme the virus needs to copy itself inside the body – preventing it from multiplying and taking hold if someone is exposed.<\/p>\n

Unlike the current daily HIV-prevention tablets known as PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), the new therapy requires an injection every two months, administered by a healthcare professional.<\/p>\n

It will be offered to around 1,000 people a year who cannot take oral PrEP, for example due to medical conditions, difficulty swallowing tablets or unstable living situations.<\/p>\n

Helen Knight, director of medicines evaluation at NICE, said: ‘HIV remains a serious public-health challenge, but we now have powerful tools to prevent new infections.<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

A revolutionary jab that prevents HIV will be rolled out on the NHS – giving new hope of wiping out the virus within five years<\/p>\n

‘Around 1,000 people in England cannot have daily oral PrEP due to medical contraindications or other barriers, which is why this injection offers an effective option for this community.’<\/p>\n

Dr Michael Brady, NHS England’s National Adviser for LGBT+ Health, added: ‘This long-acting injection is a significant addition to our HIV prevention strategies – giving us a powerful new option for people at risk who cannot have oral PrEP tablets.’<\/p>\n

Health Secretary Wes Streeting hailed the approval as ‘game-changing’. He said: ‘For vulnerable people who are unable to take other methods of HIV prevention, this represents hope.<\/p>\n

‘We’re making real progress on HIV, with PrEP use up by eight per cent this year.<\/p>\n

‘England will be the first country to end HIV transmissions by 2030, and this breakthrough treatment is another powerful tool in our arsenal to reach that crucial goal.’<\/p>\n

More than 111,000 people accessed PrEP in sexual-health clinics in England during 2024 – a seven per cent rise on the previous year, according to the UK Health Security Agency.<\/p>\n

HIV attacks the immune system and, left untreated, can cause life-threatening illness. But modern medicines can suppress the virus so effectively that it becomes ‘undetectable’ – meaning it cannot be passed on.<\/p>\n

The rollout comes alongside a major expansion of HIV testing in A&E departments, with 89 hospitals now screening all patients having blood tests in high-prevalence areas – a scheme expected to identify nearly 1,900 new or previously missed cases each year.<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The move marks a major step towards the NHS’s goal of becoming the first health service in the world to eliminate HIV transmission by 2030. Above, the HIV virus<\/p>\n

Charities hailed the new jab as a vital step in tackling inequalities. Richard Angell, chief executive of the Terrence Higgins Trust, said: ‘Injectable PrEP will be transformative for our HIV response.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘It’s highly effective and a vital tool for tackling inequalities – with the potential to reach those not currently accessing prevention.’<\/p>\n

Cabotegravir is made by ViiV Healthcare, part of GSK, at its Barnard Castle site in County Durham.<\/p>\n

Julie Guest, ViiV Healthcare’s UK general manager, said: ‘As the first and only long-acting PrEP option available in the UK, cabotegravir offers an alternative to help people stay protected.’<\/p>\n

Share or comment on this article:
\n First ever HIV-blocking jab given NHS green light – hailed a ‘game-changer’ in fight to end the virus<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By BARNEY CALMAN, HEAD OF HEALTH Published: 03:12 EDT, 17 October 2025 | Updated: 03:23 EDT, 17 October…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":127900,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[275],"tags":[118,18,135,475,474,19,17],"class_list":{"0":"post-127899","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-healthcare","8":"tag-dailymail","9":"tag-eire","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-health-care","12":"tag-healthcare","13":"tag-ie","14":"tag-ireland"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127899","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=127899"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127899\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/127900"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=127899"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=127899"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=127899"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}