The European Commission approved a twice-yearly injection to prevent HIV, enabling its rollout across the European Union.
Drugmaker Gilead confirmed the decision one month after the European Medicines Agency recommended the medicine.
Experts hailed the jab, lenacapavir, as a groundbreaking step in the fight against the epidemic.
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Lenacapavir, marketed as Yeytuo, prevents HIV from replicating and spreading in the body.
The injection protects both adults and adolescents by lowering their risk of infection.
Clinical trials showed the jab achieved 100 percent effectiveness in preventing the virus.
Yeytuo will be available in the EU, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein as the first twice-yearly PrEP option.
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Gilead stated the approval highlights Yeytuo’s potential to address urgent prevention needs across Europe.
HIV diagnoses in the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway increased 11.8 percent in 2023, reaching 24,700 new cases.
The US FDA already approved the drug, and WHO endorsed it as an additional prevention tool.
Gilead seeks approval in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, and Switzerland, with more countries to follow.
The company will allow generic production in 120 lower-income nations with high HIV rates.
However, U.S. funding cuts may limit global distribution despite urgent demand.
HIV currently affects 40.8 million people worldwide, with 630,000 AIDS-related deaths reported last year.
