The first major clinical trial for an injectable form of PrEP began last Tuesday.

The drug, cabotegravir, is already used to treat people with HIV, but is now being tested as a way to prevent the transmission of the virus in pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).

Cabotegravir would be injected once every eight weeks and, if effective, would be made available as an alternative to the only other form of PrEP on the market, the once-a-day pill Truvada.

Though Truvada has been proven to be 99% effective in combating the spread of HIV, this remains contingent on an individual being able to stick to the daily regimen, a habit not everyone can maintain.

“While a daily medication may be great for a number of folks, other people may have challenges adhering,” Albert Liu, research director of the HIV prevention program at the San Francisco Department of Public Health, told BuzzFeed.

“As simple as it might sound for some people, some people just don’t like the idea of taking a pill every day,” added Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. “Everything from the inconvenience of it, as well as just the psychological aspect of having to take a pill every single day.”

The new trial will enroll 4,500 men who have sex with men and transgender women at 45 unique sites in eight different countries. The participants will be split into two groups, one of which will receive an injection of cabotegravir every two months along with a daily placebo pill while the other group receives a placebo injection and a regular dose of Truvada.

Researchers will study the groups over the next four years to see if those injected with cabotegravir receive comparable protection to those on Truvada. Barring any major hiccups, investigators will be able to share their results in 2021.

“I think having more available prevention options for people will be really critical,” concluded Liu.

“It’s similar to contraception — where there are a variety of different options for women who are seeking birth control,” he continued. “Having a range of options for HIV prevention will also be enormously helpful to bringing down new cases of HIV.”

Earlier this year, scientists at Temple University used a new gene-editing method to remove HIV from human immune cells, researchers in the UK announced they were on track to finding a cure for HIV and a new HIV test was developed that's as easy as plugging a USB stick into a computer.

h/t: BuzzFeed