WHO Mentions Injection that Can Prevent Nigerians from Getting HIV, Doctor Release Price
- The World Health Organization has introduced new HIV prevention guidelines, recommending twice-yearly injectable lenacapavir as an additional PrEP option
- Clinical trials show that lenacapavir delivers near-complete protection against HIV, raising hopes for stronger prevention strategies worldwide
- For Nigeria, where 1.9 million people live with HIV, the guidance presents both opportunities and urgent questions about access, equity, and delivery readiness
On July 14, 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced new guidelines recommending twice-yearly injectable lenacapavir as an additional pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) option for HIV prevention.
WHO reported that large trials showed near-complete protection against HIV, including zero infections in one major study and very few in another.
Source: UGC
The organisation stated that this guidance brings new momentum to a prevention response that has slowed, while also raising questions about access, equity, and delivery readiness.
Nigeria’s HIV challenge
Nigeria is highlighted as a country where these issues are immediate. WHO noted that Nigeria has an estimated 1.9 million people living with HIV. Progress is described as real, but new infections continue, particularly among young people and key populations.
National adult prevalence is estimated at around 1–1.4% among adults aged 15–49 years, but risk varies sharply by age, gender, and geography. Reports show that young women aged 20–24 are more than three times as likely to be living with HIV as young men of the same age.
Prevalence is higher in the South-South and North Central zones, with Akwa Ibom, Benue, and Rivers identified as high-burden states. Despite expanded treatment access, prevention gaps remain, including high numbers of new paediatric HIV infections.
What makes lenacapavir different?
WHO explained that lenacapavir represents a potential shift in how protection can be delivered to those most at risk. Unlike daily oral PrEP, which can be difficult to sustain due to stigma, disclosure risks, and pill fatigue, lenacapavir is given as a subcutaneous injection every six months.
In the PURPOSE 1 clinical trial, there were no infections in the lenacapavir group; in the PURPOSE 2 trial, there were two, far fewer than in the comparison arms. These results place lenacapavir among the most effective HIV prevention tools currently available.
Delivery and equity in Nigeria
WHO emphasised that the real test is not whether lenacapavir works, but whether it can be delivered at scale, equitably and sustainably, within real-world health systems. For Nigeria, this means ensuring accessibility, affordability, confidential services, and targeted delivery to those at highest risk without stigma or delay. Twice-yearly dosing is reported to offer practical advantages by improving adherence, protecting privacy, and reducing reliance on daily pill-taking.
Combination prevention approach
WHO positioned lenacapavir as an additional choice alongside oral PrEP, long-acting cabotegravir, and the dapivirine ring, within a combination prevention approach.
The organisation stated that choice matters, particularly for populations not well served by existing options. Its six-monthly schedule could boost uptake and persistence, but it also introduces new delivery demands, including testing, counselling, safe injection delivery, and follow-up.
In a post on X, a Nigerian doctor mentioned the subsidized price in Nigeria. He wrote:
“LENACAPAVIR is now available in Nigeria. Yes, Lenacapavir which can protect against HIV is available in some states Big thanks to the Nigerian government, and other stakeholders that subsidized it A Drug that should cost around $28,000 per year (~40 million Naira) was subsidized to around $40 ( 58,000).”
Source: Legit.ng
