Nigeria Health Watch analysis
On 14 July 2025, the World Health Organization issued new guidelines recommending twice-yearly injectable lenacapavir as an additional PrEP option for HIV prevention. In large trials, twice-yearly lenacapavir delivered near-complete protection against HIV, including zero infections in one major study and very few in another. The guidance brings new momentum to a prevention response that has slowed, but it also raises hard questions about access, equity, and delivery readiness. For Nigeria, these questions are immediate. With an estimated 1.9 million people living with HIV, progress is real, but new infections continue, especially among young people and key populations.
Early experience with long-acting PrEP roll-outs in Southern Africa shows the value of community-based delivery, strong demand creation, and systems that bring people back on time. For Nigeria, success will depend on early preparation, strategic targeting, deep community engagement, and increased domestic investment. Lenacapavir should expand choice, not displace what works. In prevention, options are not a luxury; they are an adherence strategy. If Nigeria pairs this innovation with equity-first delivery, reliable financing, and real accountability for access, lenacapavir could be a turning point, not just in technology, but in who finally gets protected.
Read the full analysis here.
Source : Nigeria Health Watch
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