Nigeria to Receive Breakthrough HIV Prevention Drug in March — NACA

By Abah Margaret

Nigeria is set to receive a major boost in its fight against HIV as the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) has announced that the country will take delivery of Lenacapavir, a groundbreaking HIV prevention drug, in March 2026.

In a statement issued on Monday by NACA’s Head of Public Relations, Toyin Aderibigbe, the agency disclosed that it has secured regulatory approval for the drug from the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

Lenacapavir, an injectable medication administered twice yearly, has demonstrated 100 per cent effectiveness in preventing HIV infection during clinical trials. The long-acting drug is considered a more convenient alternative to daily oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) medications.

According to NACA, the drug will be made available in Nigeria and 119 other low- and middle-income countries at an affordable cost of $40 per person annually. This pricing arrangement is made possible through voluntary licensing agreements with generic manufacturers.

“The Government of Nigeria is advancing preparations for the introduction and rollout of Lenacapavir as Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP). This is part of the government’s commitment to strengthen HIV prevention and accelerate progress toward epidemic control,” the statement read.

The agency highlighted key milestones already achieved, including the completion of landscape and readiness assessments across 10 states — Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Benue, Cross River, Ebonyi, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Gombe, Kano, Kwara, and Lagos — alongside the regulatory clearance by NAFDAC.

NACA confirmed that the commodities are expected to arrive in the country in March 2026.

Nigeria currently has approximately 1.9 million people living with HIV, with a national prevalence rate of 1.3 per cent among adults aged 15–49. In 2021 alone, the country recorded about 74,000 new HIV infections and 51,000 AIDS-related deaths.

The South-South geopolitical zone bears the highest burden, with a prevalence rate of 3.1 per cent. Women aged 15–49 are more than twice as likely to be living with HIV compared to men within the same age bracket.

Health experts believe the introduction of Lenacapavir could significantly reduce new infections and move Nigeria closer to achieving epidemic control.