Brussels, Aug. 27 -- The European Commission has formally approved a twice-yearly injection to prevent HIV, paving the way for its rollout across the European Union, Euro News reported, citing drugmaker Gilead.

The new treatment comes amid a rise in HIV cases across parts of Europe.

The approval follows a recommendation last month from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for the first-of-its-kind medicine, which has been hailed as a game-changer in the fight against the HIV epidemic, Euro News added.

The drug, called lenacapavir, is a form of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) that prevents the virus from replicating and spreading within the body, reducing the risk of acquiring HIV among both adults and adolescents.

In clinical studies, ...