The federal Food and Drug Administration has approved Apretude (extended-release cabotegravir), the first long-acting injectable option for HIV prevention.
The shots, which are administered by a health care provider every two months, were more effective than daily PrEP pills in two large studies of gay men, trans women, and cisgender women. "The FDA approval of long-acting injectable cabotegravir is a major breakthrough for the prevention field," Dr.
Susan Buchbinder, director of Bridge HIV at the San Francisco Department of Public Health, said in a statement from the International AIDS Society. "Some people aren't able to, or don't want to, take PrEP pills.