Nigerian pharmaceutical firm Codix Bio Ltd is set to begin the local production of millions of rapid diagnostic test kits for HIV and malaria in response to looming supply gaps caused by cuts in U.S. foreign aid.
The company’s new manufacturing facility, located outside Lagos, will start operations later this month with an initial annual capacity of 147 million test kits.
This development comes as Nigeria grapples with reduced funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), traditionally the country’s largest donor in public health interventions.
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“In terms of what USAID and PEPFAR were supplying annually, our production scale is sufficient to meet that demand locally,” said Olanrewaju Balaja, general manager of Codix Bio in a report on Arose news.
He added that the plant’s output can be scaled to over 160 million units annually, offering potential to serve both domestic and regional markets.
Codix Bio’s move is in partnership with South Korean diagnostics giant SD Biosensor and is supported by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The initiative aims to plug potential gaps in the supply of test kits as donor contributions wane. U.S. support to Nigeria stood at $740 million in 2024, with a significant portion directed at fighting HIV, malaria, and vaccine distribution.
With Nigeria bearing 27 percent of the global malaria burden and ranking fourth globally in HIV prevalence, the availability of affordable, accessible test kits remains critical. Balaja noted that Codix Bio is also targeting regional expansion, with plans to supply neighbouring West African and Sub-Saharan countries.
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“The focus was for us to be able to play in the field of supply of rapid diagnostic test kits for donor agencies, of which particularly USAID was at the forefront,” Balaja explained.
He expressed optimism that the Nigerian government and global health partners such as the Global Fund would purchase the locally made kits to ensure programme continuity.
