The National Health System will incorporate Apretude, a bimonthly alternative for people at high risk of infection
Spain will become the first country in the European Union to finance Injectable PrEP against HIV within its public health system. The Interministerial Commission on Drug Prices (CIPM) has approved the inclusion of Apretude (long-acting cabotegravir) as a pharmaceutical benefit of the System National Health Service, in those cases in which oral PrEP is not the most appropriate alternative.
The decision represents a significant advance in the combined HIV prevention strategy and reinforces the country’s positioning in public health policies linked to the LGTBIQ+ community.
What changes with injectable PrEP
Until now, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) financed in Spain was administered in a daily oral format. Apretude introduces a different regimen: an intramuscular injection every two months.
This change can facilitate adherence in certain population profiles, especially in contexts where daily intake poses a difficulty or a risk of abandonment.
The medication is indicated for HIV-negative people at high risk of infection through sexual contact.
International clinical trials have shown that long-acting cabotegravir offers high efficacy in HIV prevention, even superior to the daily oral regimen in situations where adherence is irregular.
Spain, European benchmark
Although the European Medicines Agency (EMA) had already authorized its marketing, until now no country in the European Union had incorporated it into its public portfolio of services.
Financing by the National Health System guarantees universal access and under conditions of equity, a key element so that innovation does not become a privilege.
This measure places Spain in a leading position in Europe in HIV prevention, aligning with the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNAIDS to expand access to effective prevention tools.
Combined prevention and fight against stigma
The incorporation of injectable PrEP is integrated into a broader strategy based on:
- Combined prevention
- Early diagnosis
- Universal antiretroviral treatment
- Stigma reduction
Because prevention is not only pharmacological. It is also social.
The question that remains open is clear:
Will expanding medical tools be enough if information campaigns and real access to services are not also reinforced?
One more step towards the elimination of HIV
Spain has made significant progress in recent years in HIV control, but inequalities in access, late diagnosis and stigmatization still persist.
Financing injectable PrEP may mark a turning point, especially for people who encounter barriers to daily regimens.
The challenge now will be to guarantee that this innovation effectively reaches those who need it.
Because advancing in prevention is not just incorporating medications. It is to ensure that no one is left out.
