Nigeria has received 11,520 doses of lenacapavir, the long-acting injectable HIV prevention medicine.
The federal government officially took delivery of the
consignment on Wednesday at the Federal Central Stores, Oshodi, Lagos.
Speaking at the reception, Mohammed Patiko, head of
procurement and supply chain management, National AIDS and STIs Control
Programme (NASCP), said the 11,520 doses received are part of a total 52,000
doses expected in three batches, under a Global Fund-supported initiative.
Nigeria is among nine countries globally selected for the
early rollout of the groundbreaking injection.
“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.
“It is a prevention commodity expected to reduce infections.
We are expecting three batches, the first one received today is 11,520 doses,
the second will come in May, and the third in October.”
He said the target population includes “serodiscordant
couples, people at risk of HIV/AIDS, and key populations such as men who have
sex with men (MSM), female sex workers (FSW), and transgender persons”.
“For the National HIV Programme pilot and study, the
injection will be provided free of charge to all clients who are enrolled and
will be available at designated health facilities in eight pilot states,”
Patiko added.
“These are the Global Fund-supported states of Kwara, Gombe,
Ebonyi, and Anambra. Other states are the FCT, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, and
Benue and it will be available at designated secondary health facilities in
these states.”
Patiko said the distribution is expected to commence next
week to designated facilities through existing logistics systems.
Also speaking, Oladipupo Fisher, Lagos state AIDS programme
coordinator, said the introduction of lenacapavir strengthens the country’s
multi-pronged prevention strategy.
“Nigeria is on track to eliminate HIV/AIDS by 2030.These
prevention products are crucial to achieving global targets. They will help
reduce new infections and contribute to epidemic control by 2030,” Fisher said.
“For those already infected, treatment reduces viral load,
making transmission less likely. Increased testing and treatment enrollment
remain key strategies. The goal is to reduce both new and existing infections.”
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