The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) has approved CAB-LA, an injection taken every two months, for the prevention of HIV on the NHS in Scotland.
CAB-LA, a long-acting form of the integrase inhibitor, cabotegravir, was recommended for the prevention of HIV by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in July 2022 – however, uptake at the national level has been much slower.
On the 10th February 2024, Scotland became the first nation in the United Kingdom to give approval for the prevention method to be provided on its NHS.
CAB-LA is a long-acting intramuscular injection. The first two injections are administered four weeks apart, followed by an injection every eight weeks after that.
Trials around the world have shown CAB-LA to be safe and effective for cisgender women, cisgender men who have sex with men, and transgender women who have sex with men. Leading to the WHO recommendation and the subsequent SMC approval.
Whilst injectable PrEP might not suit everyone, it offers an important alternative for those who struggle with taking oral PrEP – this might be because of problems swallowing pills, memory problems, mental health issues, or fear of people finding their pill bottles, amongst many others.
The recent approval of CAB-LA by the SMC for use on the NHS in Scotland has placed pressure on the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) to adopt a similar approach and approve CAB-LA for NHS use in England and Wales.
