HIV-prevention treatment is clinically effective, according to an expert analysis for the UK government.
NHS England is currently considering whether to fund pre-exposure prophylaxis – PrEP – after a court ruling in August.
According to the new analysis, it will need to take into account the likely uptake and adherence rates in order to decide whether the treatment will be cost effective.
The analysis has been produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.
It says the treatment, Truvada, is clinically effective in reducing HIV infection amongst high risk people who are not already infected.
Trials suggest it can reduce rates of new infection by between 44% and 86%.
Professor Gillian Leng, from NICE, said: “This review has outlined a number of issues that will need to be taken into account.
“This evidence summary is not NICE guidance and therefore doesn’t make any recommendations. However, it does consider the best available evidence, most similar to UK practice, for the efficacy and safety of Truvada for PrEP to help plan services.
“Although the evidence summary did not include a cost-effectiveness analysis, the cost-effectiveness of PrEP is likely to be dependent on variables such as HIV incidence, uptake, adherence, trends in condomless sex, and drug costs."
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