ACPN calls for local manufacturing of HIV drugs

By :  Silver  Nwokoro

Date: 2 December 2025 1:00pm WAT

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ACPN calls for local manufacturing of HIV drugs

ACPN calls for local manufacturing of HIV drugs

In commemoration of World HIV Day, the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) has called for an urgent local investment in HIV/AIDS commodities and services.

The association insisted that Nigeria must reduce its dependence on external donors to protect recent gains.

In a statement to mark the day with the theme “Overcoming Disruption, Transforming the AIDS Response,” its National Chairman, Pharm. Ambrose Igwekamma Ezeh, warned that recent cuts in external funding make a strengthened local commitment essential.

“The recent cut in funding support from the United States Government should awaken the Federal Government of Nigeria to take decisive action,” he said, adding that increased local investment and policy commitment are essential to preventing major setbacks in HIV services nationwide.

Ezeh described the national HIV response as historically resilient but cautioned that the current geopolitical and funding environment requires fresh thinking.

“The HIV response has historically been characterised by resilience rising above challenges through innovation, partnerships, and persistent advocacy.

“However, today’s shifting geopolitical landscape and funding uncertainties demand that Nigeria rethinks, rebuilds, and rises with renewed strategies grounded in evidence-based policymaking, innovation, and multi-sectoral collaboration,” he said.

He highlighted worrying statistics to underscore the urgency for action: “In 2023 alone, Nigeria recorded an estimated 1,400 new HIV infections and 50,000 AIDS-related deaths each week, with 1.9 million Nigerians currently living with HIV.”

To translate concern into policy, Pharm. Ezeh set out three concrete recommendations. The first is the adoption of long-acting injectable antiretroviral regimens. He urged the federal government to approve Cabotegravir 600 mg and Rilpivirine 900 mg for eligible people living with HIV, noting that long-acting injectables would ease pill burden and improve adherence, with dosing intervals spaced several months apart.

The second is to deepen partnerships with community pharmacists as he stressed that community pharmacists already play critical roles in HIV testing, counselling, and ARV refills, and argued that deeper integration of community pharmacy services will enhance case identification, treatment continuity, and accurate national data reporting, especially in the face of global funding uncertainties.

The third is to promote local manufacturing of HIV commodities.

The ACPN chairman issued a direct call for government investment in local manufacturing of antiretrovirals, diagnostic kits, and consumables to ensure sustainability, reduce external dependency, and safeguard uninterrupted service delivery.

Ezeh closed the statement with solidarity for people living with HIV and a call to renewed action: “As we mark World HIV Day, the Association extends warm solidarity to all people living with HIV and appreciation to every stakeholder committed to ending this epidemic. May today serve as a reminder of our collective responsibility and as inspiration for renewed, transformative action.”

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