(WSIL) -- The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) announced Thursday that a new, long-acting HIV treatment, called Cabenuva, will be available in 2023.
The injectable medication, which is being added to the list of treatments that are available through the State’s AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP), is administered once a month or every other month and replaces oral medications that need to be taken daily.
“We at IDPH are excited about the inclusion of Cabenuva in the State’s AIDS Drug Assistance Program,”�said IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra. “This new medication is highly effective and provides patients and providers an important new tool to improve the health of Illinoisians living with HIV. Our goal today on World AIDS day and every day is to grow our strategies and solutions to make certain no one suffers from this dangerous disease.�
IDPH officials note that use of Cabenuva is expected to increase medication compliance which will not only improve health outcomes but also potentially reduce transmission of the HIV virus to others.
IDPH data indicates more than 36,000 people in Illinois are diagnosed with HIV. The state drug assistance program provides medication and other services for more than 15,000 of those individuals.
