As Nigeria officially launches the Long-Lasting Injectable Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, Lenacapavir (LEN PrEP) for HIV prevention, the Chief Executive Officer of Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN), Dr. Patrick Dakum has expressed the Institute’s commitment to supporting the government to make the injectable accessible to key populations, vulnerable groups and individuals at high risk of HIV infection.
Dr. Dakum stated this during a ceremony to unveil LEN PrEP in Abuja.
“As the Principal Recipient of the Global Fund in Nigeria, we are committed to translating government policies into actionable points at the community. Our goal is to ensure that there is speed and efficiency implementing programs and we are grateful to work with the government to make this happen. We thank the Global Fund to Fight HIV, Malaria and Tuberculosis. They are a reliable partner in fighting HIV and TB. We will continue to work with local and international partners to succeed.”
At the flag-off ceremony, the Honourable Coordinating Minister for Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate said that with the changing global financing landscape for public health programs, innovation and domestic resource mobilization are essential. He stressed the importance of a sector-wide, integrated approach that ensures that government and partners work together for the sustainability of TB, HIV and malaria programmes.
“While we have had tremendous success in dealing with HIV, TB and malaria over the past five years with support of international partners, the changing global landscape forces us to think differently. Innovative tools like Lenacapavir gives us another instrument to help us finish the work that we know we can do,” he said.
Nigeria was selected by the Global Fund as one of the nine early adopter countries for the introduction of Lenacapavir with 52,000 dozes to be deployed to Anambra, Ebonyi, Gombe, Kwara, Akwa Ibom, Cross River and Benue States under a pilot scheme.
At the ceremony, Global Fund Representative, Jean-Thomas Nouboussi said the launch is a demonstration of the effectiveness of partnerships with government, civil society, private sector, communities to fight HIV, tuberculosis and malaria.
“Lenacapavir represents a game changer. It is a major advance to the prevention of HIV. It addresses one of the key challenges in the prevention of HIV which was the difficulty of adherence to daily HIV pills. It offers hope for reaching a population that we have not been able to reach because of challenges.”
Mr. Nouboussi stated that, “For the first time, since the beginning of HIV pandemic, a new tool will be rolled out at the same time in developing countries and in the Western countries. We need to recognize this. The Global Fund’s ambition is to reach 2 million people with Lenacapavir by the end of 2028, working with partners. Nigeria will receive by 2028, 179,700 dozes. We expect that the government will step in and accelerate the deployment in the whole country.”
Earlier, IHVN participated in a media parley organized by the National AIDS and STIs Control Programme (NASCP) ahead of the official launch of LEN PrEP, IHVN Director of Special Projects, Dr. Aderonke Agbaje said that the injectable has the potential to improve uptake and adherence of HIV prevention options particularly among key and vulnerable populations who may struggle with daily medications.
“LEN PrEP is not a replacement for existing options but an additional choice within a combination prevention approach. By expanding choice and tailoring prevention to individual needs, Nigeria is better positioned to reduce new infections and move closer to ending HIV as a public health threat,” she said.
She explained that IHVN is supporting the roll-out through a comprehensive system-integrated approach aligned with national leadership under the Federal Ministry of Health and NASCP. This support includes service delivery for access and sustainability, capacity building of health workers, community engagement and demand creation, commodity management through national systems and strengthening data systems and real-time feedback mechanisms.
