INSTEAD OF PILLS AND INJECTIONS, NOW IMPLANTS - WHICH INNOVATIVE TREATMENTS HAVE BEEN APPROVED IN THE LAST 24 MONTHS - Filenews 20/9 by Marilena Panayi
A small implant is placed in the eye and gradually releases the drug. A capsule of living cells functions within the body as a tiny unit for the production of therapeutic protein. One injection protects against HIV for six months.
Another attempts to replace daily insulin injections with one a week. In the arm, a thin contraceptive implant can now remain for five years. Treatment changes form. And with it, the patient's relationship with the drug changes.
A search in the official announcements, approvals and evaluations of the European Medicines Agency, EMA, and the corresponding American agency, FDA, can fully attribute the changes in the way various diseases and conditions that for decades were treated with pills and injections.
Dozens of innovative ideas from almost all manufacturing companies worldwide are in the study stage and it is expected that in the coming years they will be particularly important for medicine around the world.
Six months of treatment with one "filling"
In July 2026, EMA's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use issued a favourable recommendation for Susvimo. It is a treatment for wet age-related macular degeneration, a serious condition that can cause loss of central vision.
The active substance is not administered by the usual repeated injection into the eye. A small, refillable implant is surgically placed, which gradually releases ranibizumab.
The implant is refilled every 24 weeks. In the phase 3 study, according to the EMA, the results in terms of vision preservation were comparable to those of injections given every four weeks.
For an elderly patient, the difference between one intervention every month and one every six months is not a detail. It means fewer appointments, less travel, less dependence on relatives and less psychological burden.
However, this is not a treatment without cost or risk. The implant needs surgical placement, refilling by a specialist and systematic monitoring. In addition, the positive recommendation of the CHMP is an important, but not the final, stage of European authorisation.
Living cells inside the eye
Even more impressive is a treatment approved by the FDA in March 2025. Encelto is intended for adults with idiopathic macrovascular telangiectasia type 2, a rare degenerative retinal disease. The special element is that the implant does not just contain a quantity of ready-made drug.
It contains encapsulated allogeneic cells, which have been modified to produce a therapeutic protein. The FDA classifies the product in cellular gene therapies.
Simply put, a small biological production unit is implanted in the eye. The substance is not only manufactured in the pharmaceutical factory, it is packaged and administered. It is constantly produced where it is needed.
The description looks like science fiction, but in any case, the slightest intervention on the human body can be accompanied by side effects and complications. This, of course, is always taken into account when comparing benefits for the patient.
One injection every six months
In HIV prevention, the big problem has not always been the effectiveness of drugs. It was also their daily intake. Lenacapavir, with the European trade name Yeytuo, received marketing authorization in the European Union in August 2025 for prophylaxis before exposure to HIV, known as PrEP. After the initial doses, it is given by subcutaneous injection every six months.
In one of the main studies, no new infection was recorded among 2,134 people who received the treatment. In a second study, two infections were recorded among 2,179 participants.
In this case, based on official warnings, convenience should not remove liability. An HIV test is required before each administration and the schedule must be followed. The drug remains in the body for a long time and cannot be withdrawn like a pill that simply stops being taken.
Of the 365 injections in 52
In June 2026, EMA's competent committee positively recommended Onswik, a basal insulin given once a week to adults with type 2 diabetes.
In the QWINT 1-4 studies, weekly insulin achieved a reduction in glycated hemoglobin comparable to that of daily basal insulin.
According to the data, as announced: about 52 injections per year instead of 365. Reducing the number of doses can help patients who have difficulty following their treatment.
Five years of contraception
In January 2026, the FDA extended the duration of use of Nexplanon, a thin contraceptive implant placed under the skin of the arm, to five years.
The implant continuously releases a small amount of etonogestrel and should be removed no later than the end of the fifth year.
Evolution is indicative of another side of innovation. A completely new drug is not always required. New scientific data may allow a known treatment to be used for a longer period of time.
In contraception, however, the issue of autonomy is also strongly raised. Installation and removal require a trained professional. A woman is no longer dependent on taking a pill every day, but she depends on her access to a health service when she wants to remove the implant.
Attention, study and proper medical judgment
Long-term treatments promise fewer doses, fewer visits to doctors, better compliance and greater freedom in the daily life of each patient.
In any case, for an elderly person who needs help getting to the hospital or for a patient who takes a lot of medication every day, the difference can be decisive.
On the other hand, and in terms of the capabilities of health systems, an implant can cost much more than an injection. With the rapid development of these technologies, however, the current picture of things may change drastically within the current decade.
For patients, the most important thing to keep in mind is that the right advice from their doctor is required in any case. After all, in all cases of treatment, not only the condition or condition is taken into account but also the particularities of each person.
