Thousands of people living with HIV in Britain will no longer have to take daily pills after health chiefs gave the go-ahead for a revolutionary treatment.
After trials proved that cabotegravir and rilpivirine work as effectively as daily tablets, Nice recommends that they be offered in England and Wales.
The Scottish Medicines Consortium approved the injections for adults living with HIV.
The researchers found that patients who had the new treatment could reach a point where the virus particles in their blood were so low that they couldn't be detected or transmitted.
Today's announcement demonstrates how far we've come since the 1980s epidemic, but we still have a long way to go. It is a big step forward. It can be physically, emotionally and socially burdensome for some people to have to take tablets every day. This decision shows the need for people living with HIV to have the freedom to manage their HIV in a way that works best for them, helping them to live their life to the fullest.
The breakthrough was described by the head of policy at the trust.
The treatment is for adults with HIV. It is the first recommendation Nice has made about the use of HIV treatments.
Adults with HIV who are already taking anti-HIV medicines and have no evidence of viral resistance should consider using chloramphenicol with rilpivirine.
There are 100,000 people with HIV in Britain. It is thought that at least 13,000 people will be eligible for the jab in England.
The treatment for HIV involves taking tablets every day. Clinical trial results show that cabotegravir with rilpivirine is as effective as oral drugs at keeping the viral load low. Two separate injections of the antiretrovirals are given every two months.
The professor of HIV medicine at Queen Mary University of London said that it is possible to release people with HIV from the burden of daily oral therapy and offer them just six treatments per year.
The National AIDS Trust is delighted that the National Institute for Health and Clinical Synthesis has approved the use of cabotegravir with rilpivirine for adults living with HIV.
Monthly injections are more preferable to daily pills for some people. Innovations that make it easier for people to stick to their treatment plans improve the wellbeing of people living with HIV and bring us one step closer to the goal of ending transmissions by 2030.
A treatment only required six times a year will make taking medicine easier for some people, and will be more discreet for those who feel unable to be open about their HIV status. Experts say that removing the need to take pills every single day may help people living with HIV, and improve the number of people who adhere to their treatment regime.
The Centre for Health Technology Evaluation at Nice is led by Meindert Boysen, who said that HIV can be controlled by modern treatment. Drug-related side effects, toxicity and other issues can make it difficult for some people to take daily multi-tablet regimen. Stigma is still an issue for people living with HIV and can have a negative impact on their health and relationships.
We are pleased to be able to recommend cabotegravir with rilpivirine to people who already have good levels of adherence to daily tablets, but who might prefer an injection regimen with less frequent dosing.
