{"id":1154413,"date":"2026-08-17T21:44:21","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T21:44:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1154413\/"},"modified":"2026-08-17T21:44:21","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T21:44:21","slug":"nhs-to-roll-out-life-saving-meds-to-combat-drug-resistant-hiv","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1154413\/","title":{"rendered":"NHS to roll out ‘life-saving’ meds to combat drug-resistant HIV"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Lenacapavir\"\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Lenacapavir will be offered on the NHS (Getty Images)<\/p>\n

The NHS<\/a> is going to prescribe a new medication to treat the minority of patients living with a drug-resistant strain of HIV<\/a>, in a landmark move.<\/p>\n

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Around 100,000 people have HIV in England. There is currently no cure, though the vast majority can manage the virus with medication which hugely reduces the viral load to an undetectable level, which means they cannot pass it on. For a minority, though, the virus has mutated and become resistant to medication readily offered.<\/p>\n

Now, the drug Lenacapavir will be offered to those at risk in the coming weeks \u2013 reportedly 92 eligible patients. That number is expected to rise to around 300 over the next three years.<\/p>\n

One woman told the Mirror<\/a> that the medication has saved her life.<\/p>\n

She explained that she had been born with HIV and had tried a number of different medications, but had a fear of swallowing large tablets and eventually grew resistance to more readily available drugs. It saw her regularly admitted to hospital with a dangerously low immune system and related complications.<\/p>\n

\u201cLenacapavir has been life saving for me,\u201d she said, now living with a restore immune system and undetectable levels. \u201cBefore this medication, I was really unwell. Now I am working full time and am living a normal life. I\u2019m not worried anymore and feel a lot happier.\u201d<\/p>\n

The woman shared praise for the NHS that it will be offered to people like her with a resistant form of HIV, adding: \u201cIt can make all the difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

How the new medication will work<\/p>\n

Eligible patients will take a tablet for two days, followed by another on day eight.<\/p>\n

Afterwards, they will have two injections, before having an injection every six months.<\/p>\n

Health Minister Baroness Merron said the \u201clandmark treatment will totally transform\u201d the lives of those living with a drug-resistant HIV. Merron added that the Government is \u201cdetermined to end new HIV transmissions by 2030\u201d.<\/p>\n

National AIDS Trust director Daniel Fluskey said: \u201cThis is a huge decision for people who need life-saving treatment and takes us a step closer to ensuring that no one dies from AIDS-related illnesses here in the UK.<\/p>\n

\"Lenacapavir\"Lenacapavir can be life-saving (Getty Images)<\/p>\n

\u201cOver years too many people have lost loved ones, family, and friends because of a lack of access to medicine and the harm caused by stigma, prejudice, and discrimination. So when a new life-saving treatment is available it must get to the people who need it.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s reported that around 100 people each year in England may need the new drug.<\/p>\n

NHS England director for specialised commissioning John Stewart said: \u201cThis trailblazing new drug, approved for the first time by the NHS, is offering a lifelines to those people for whom options are limited, as conventional HIV treatments do not work. And it gives them the opportunity to live a normal, healthy and long life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Richard Angell OBE, Chief Executive of Terrence Higgins Trust, said:\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s a great step forward and relief for those who need it that lenacapavir is now available as HIV treatment. For the vast majority of people living with HIV, existing treatments mean that they can live long, healthy lives and can\u2019t pass on HIV. However, for the small number of people for whom a daily pill does not work \u2013 most likely those who took earlier HIV medication or acquired HIV at birth \u2013 the option of injectable treatment presents them with hope. For them, this news is not just game-changing, it\u2019s life-saving. We\u2019re grateful to everyone who has worked so hard to make this happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Share your thoughts!<\/strong>\u00a0Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Lenacapavir will be offered on the NHS (Getty Images) The NHS is going to prescribe a new medication…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1154414,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[4315],"tags":[105,19164,4326,211,16,15],"class_list":["post-1154413","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-medication","tag-health","tag-hiv","tag-medication","tag-nhs","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/117113041212924546","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1154413","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1154413"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1154413\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1154414"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1154413"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1154413"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1154413"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}