More than 10,000 gay men will be offered a drug which prevents transmission of HIV after health officials lost a Court of Appeal battle over funding.
The drugs - called PrEP - have been described as a “game changer” in the fight against Aids but dubbed “promiscuity pills” by critics.
Last month, the Court of Appeal upheld a High Court ruling which said NHS England did have the power to fund the drug despite its pleas that the responsibility lay with local authorities.
Now, the organisation has announced it will fund "a large scale clinical trial” for the drug, also known as pre-exposure prophylaxis, at a cost of up to £10m.
Aids charities welcomed the “life-changing” decision.
But patients groups were cautious about the plans, at a time when the health service is facing the worst financial crisis in its history, amid lengthening waiting lists and increased rationing.
From next year, the drug will be offered to gay men who do not have HIV but are at high risk of being infected through unprotected sex.
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