ABUJA, Nigeria — The federal government of Nigeria is set to receive a revolutionary medication for the prevention of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, with the first shipments scheduled to arrive in March. The National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) confirmed that the West African nation has finalised plans to introduce Lenacapavir, an injectable treatment that demonstrated 100 percent effectiveness in preventing infection during clinical trials.
Toyin Aderibigbe, the Head of Public Relations for the National Agency for the Control of AIDS, released a statement at 10:48 a.m. West African Time (WAT, GMT+1) on Monday, March 2, 2026, announcing that the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has officially granted regulatory approval for the medicine. Okay News reports that this development marks a significant shift in public health strategy for the country, moving away from daily oral pills to an injection administered just two times a year.
“The Government of Nigeria is advancing preparations for the introduction and rollout of Lenacapavir as Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP),” the agency stated. “This is part of the government’s commitment to strengthen HIV prevention and accelerate progress toward epidemic control,”
Through voluntary licensing agreements with manufacturers of generic medicines, the cost of the treatment has been reduced to $40 (about 60,000 naira) per person each year. This pricing structure will benefit patients in Nigeria and 119 other countries classified as low-income and middle-income nations.
To prepare for the distribution, health officials have completed comprehensive readiness assessments across 10 regions in Nigeria. These include the Federal Capital Territory and the states of Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Benue, Cross River, Ebonyi, Gombe, Kano, Kwara, and Lagos.
“The commodities are expected in the country in March 2026,” the National Agency for the Control of AIDS noted.
The arrival of this new prevention method matters deeply for a country managing one of the largest viral burdens globally. Approximately 1.9 million citizens are currently living with the virus. Data indicates a national prevalence rate of 1.3 percent among adults between the ages of 15 and 49. In the year 2021, the nation recorded 74,000 new infections and 51,000 deaths related to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS).
The impact is not evenly distributed across the population. The southern coastal region, known as the South-South zone, reports the highest prevalence at 3.1 percent. Furthermore, women between the ages of 15 and 49 face significantly higher risks, being more than two times as likely to contract the virus compared to men in the same age group. The introduction of this accessible injection offers a crucial new layer of protection for these vulnerable groups as health authorities work to control the epidemic and save lives.
