According to the BBC, thousands of people with HIV will now be able to take a new long-acting injection which has been approved by NHS (National Health Service). The purpose of the injection, administered every two months, is to manage their condition if they would prefer to stop taking daily pills.
The drugs are administered in two separate intramuscular injections every two months, after an initial oral tablet lead-in period, and trials have shown that the injections kept the viral load of HIV in the body as low as tablets do.
According to reports, injectable medication will reduce the number of days HIV+ persons take treatments from daily to between six to 12 days a year.
Dr Sanjay Bhagani, president of the European Aids Clinical Society, told the BBC, “This is very welcome indeed. Stigma remains a significant issue in the HIV community, and taking tablets every day may be difficult for some people. This offers an injectable alternative for many people. The data and studies underpinning this recommendation are solid, and real-world experience suggests that patients that start injectable treatments prefer to stay on them.”
“People living with HIV in England and Wales will be able to access the first long-acting injectable treatment on the NHS as an additional treatment option. We have incredibly effective treatment which means HIV is now a manageable virus, however, it is lifelong so it is important that taking treatment is as easy as possible,” Debbie Laycock, Head Of Policy at HIV charity Terrence Higgins Trust said. “Pill fatigue is also an issue for some people living with HIV who struggle with the idea of taking antiretroviral drugs every day. Long-acting injectable treatment is also a better option for those who have difficulty swallowing medication. We’re working hard to tackle the stigma surrounding HIV. This new injectable treatment option could help people in house shares for example, who do not wish to share their HIV status and will no longer have to worry about hiding their medication.”
For now, however, the treatment is only suitable for those who have already achieved undetectable levels of virus in blood while taking tablets.
