The Federal Government has taken delivery of the first consignment of lenacapavir injection doses aimed at strengthening HIV prevention efforts in the country.
The shipment, received on Wednesday at the Federal Central Stores in Oshodi, Lagos, forms part of a Global Fund-supported initiative under which Nigeria is set to receive a total of 52,000 doses in three batches.
Speaking at the handover, Mohammed Patiko, Head of Procurement and Supply Chain Management at the National AIDS and STIs Control Programme (NASCP), confirmed that 11,520 doses were delivered as the first tranche.
“We are here to receive the first tranche of a total of 52,000 doses of the lenacapavir injection, donated by the Global Fund to Nigeria as one of the nine adopted countries in the world,” Patiko said.
He explained that the remaining doses would arrive in two subsequent batches scheduled for May and October. According to him, the injection is a preventive intervention designed to significantly reduce the risk of HIV infection.
The programme targets high-risk groups, including serodiscordant couples, key populations such as men who have sex with men (MSM), female sex workers (FSW), and transgender persons, as well as individuals with elevated vulnerability to HIV exposure.
Patiko added that the injections would be administered free of charge to enrolled participants as part of a national pilot and research programme. The rollout will be conducted through designated health facilities across eight pilot states, including Kwara, Gombe, Ebonyi, Anambra, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Akwa Ibom, Cross River, and Benue.
“These are the Global Fund-supported states… and it will be available at designated secondary health facilities in these states,” he said, noting that distribution is expected to begin next week through existing logistics systems.
Lenacapavir, a long-acting injectable HIV prevention drug, represents a significant advancement in HIV prevention strategies, offering extended protection compared to daily oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).
Also speaking, Oladipupo Fisher, Lagos State AIDS Programme Coordinator, described the development as a major boost to Nigeria’s HIV response strategy.
“Nigeria is on track to eliminate HIV/AIDS by 2030,” Fisher said. “These prevention products are crucial to achieving global targets. They will help reduce new infections and contribute to epidemic control by 2030.”
He emphasized that while prevention remains key, scaling up testing and treatment is equally important in reducing transmission rates. “For those already infected, treatment reduces viral load, making transmission less likely. Increased testing and treatment enrollment remain key strategies,” he added.
Nigeria continues to face a significant HIV burden, and health authorities say the introduction of innovative prevention tools like lenacapavir is critical to accelerating progress toward ending the epidemic by 2030.