The National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) has announced that Nigeria will soon receive Lenacapavir, a new HIV prevention drug that recorded 100 percent effectiveness in clinical trials.
In a statement issued Monday, NACA’s Head of Public Relations, Toyin Aderibigbe, said the agency has secured regulatory approval from the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) for the drug’s introduction.
Lenacapavir is administered as an injection twice a year, offering a more convenient option compared to daily oral prevention drugs. Through voluntary licensing agreements with generic manufacturers, the drug is expected to be available in Nigeria and 119 other low- and middle-income countries at an estimated cost of about $40 per person annually.
According to NACA, preparations for the rollout are already underway as part of the government’s strategy to strengthen HIV prevention and accelerate progress toward epidemic control.
The agency said readiness assessments have been completed in ten states — Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Benue, Cross River, Ebonyi, FCT, Gombe, Kano, Kwara, and Lagos — while the commodities are expected to arrive in the country in March 2026.
Nigeria currently has about 1.9 million people living with HIV, with a national prevalence of 1.3 percent among adults aged 15 to 49. The country recorded approximately 74,000 new infections and 51,000 AIDS-related deaths in 2021.
The South-South region remains the most affected, with a prevalence rate of 3.1 percent, while women aged 15–49 are more than twice as likely to be living with HIV as men.