A new long-lasting injectable treatment is approved for use in the United Kingdom, and this could really improve the lives of those living with HIV.
Could this be called a “liberation” from the daily tablet(s) treatment HIV patients are used to so far?
Just today, in the UK, the NHS has been given the go-ahead to roll out injections taken every two months to manage the virus: results for this research were announced back in December 2020 here.
The new treatment approved by England and Wales’ National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the Scottish Medicines Consortium today, is a combination of two jabs taken every two months: this could actually help to ease the emotional burden of having to take daily tablets (1 to 4 generally) and something like 13,000 people will be eligible in England, NICE estimated.
Is there a way to prevent HIV infections?
There are a few ways though, that we can use to prevent HIV infections.
Correctly using Condoms is certainly one, and maybe the strongest one to avoid STIs like AIDS/HIV.
There is anyway a treatment that people can follow and it is called PrEP.
PrEP stands for Pre Exposure Prophylaxis. It means that by taking a specific drug before a risky sexual relationship, for example sex without condom, you can prevent the transmission of the HIV virus. The drug used was born to keep the virus under control in people who already live with HIV, but in many years of observations it has been verified that the two active ingredients it contains – emtricitabine and tenofovir – are also effective for a good prevention.
