Nigeria risks hike in condom prices over escalating US-Iran war

Health experts have warned that prices of condoms may increase in Nigeria, and likely lead to shortages if the crisis in the Middle East disrupting global oil supply chains continues.

The experts in the pharmaceutical sector explained that the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran was already disrupting supplies and raw materials used in producing condoms, which is now driving up manufacturing costs.

They noted that since many condoms in Nigeria are imported, the current disruptions could lead to a hike in prices of condoms locally, including possible shortages.

Condoms rely heavily on petrochemical-based materials such as synthetic rubber, silicone lubricants, among other components, many of which have become more expensive due to rising oil prices and shipping disruptions due to the escalations.

The experts raised the concern following the recent announcement by the world’s biggest condom maker, Karex, that it plans to raise its prices by up to 30% or more if the US-Iran war continues to disrupt supplies of the raw materials used in making condoms.

Karex, based in Malaysia, supplies leading global brands like Durex and Trojan, among others, and produces more than five billion condoms a year. Karex relies on materials derived from oil, including ammonia, which is used to preserve latex, as well as silicone-based lubricants.

Speaking in an interview with Bloomberg, Karex’s Chief Executive, Goh Miah Kiat, explained that the company has recorded sharp rises in production costs since the conflict started.

According to Goh, demand for condoms has risen by about 30% this year, with higher freight costs and delays to shipping worsening shortages.

The PUNCH Healthwise reports that the US-Iran conflict, which has entered its 72nd day, has been marked by intensified attacks, including strikes on Tehran and regional allies, according to international news agencies.

The conflict began on February 28, when the US and Israel attacked Iran after weeks of military build-up and threats from President Trump. Large-scale strikes targeted Iranian military assets and the Islamic Republic’s top leadership, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Although a ceasefire between the US and Iran has been in place since April 8, renewed exchange of fire erupted on May 7, 2026, following naval standoffs in the Gulf with Tehran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz and Washington’s blockade of Iranian ports.

PUNCH Healthwise earlier reported that stakeholders in the pharmaceutical sector raised concerns that the escalating conflict could trigger a shortage of essential medicines in Nigeria by disrupting drug imports and delaying the supply of active pharmaceutical ingredients needed for local production.

However, in an exclusive interview with PUNCH Healthwise, the experts warned that countries dependent on imported contraceptives, including Nigeria, could face reduced access and affordability challenges if the disruptions persist.

The National Chairman of the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria, Ambrose Ezeh, said scarcity and disruption in the production of condoms could lead to a price hike of the product.

He noted that while Karex produces high-end products like Durex and others, a sharp increase in their prices and scarcity could shift demand to other affordable brands in Nigeria.

This shift to affordable brands, he said, could inform a surge in demand and lead to a price increase in those products too.

“If disruption in movement, shipment, and all that leads to the scarcity of that particular product, the price of condoms will go up because people will now make do with the small stock they have.

“If there is a disruption in production, the prices will go up. So, there is no way those disruptions will not affect the price of condoms, because they will increase the cost of that product and lead to scarcity. If the demand is high and the product is scarce, the price of the remaining ones available will go up.

“And when condoms like Durex, which are for the elites because they’re expensive, become scarce, the demand will shift to the other ones that average Nigerians are buying. It might tend to even jack up the price of those ones depending on the location and the availability of those ones,” Eze said.

Nigeria, with a population of over 200 million, is already behind in access to condom coverage to curb sexually transmitted diseases to the barest minimum.

A 2021 report on condom access and utilisation in Nigeria by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation in collaboration with the National Agency for the Control of AIDS, and the NOI Polls, revealed that Nigerians consume about 587 million condoms yearly.

It stated that Nigeria needs at least 1.15 billion condoms yearly to be able to attain 90 per cent coverage and bring down sexually transmitted diseases to a minimum.

The report indicated that Nigeria will need an extra 564 million condoms annually to achieve 90 per cent coverage across the country.

“The gap between current condom use (587 million) and total need (1.15 billion) to achieve ninety per cent (90 per cent) coverage is 564 million condoms annually,” the report read in part.

Speaking on the health implications of such scarcity and price hike, a former President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, Olumide Akintayo, said the development could worsen sexually transmitted infections, unintended pregnancies, and HIV burden.

According to him, condoms have become a very vital health instrument because they help us in a dual capacity.

“Condoms help us contain the challenges of population explosion and then, of course, help a great deal in limiting or reducing a lot of sexually transmitted infections, STIs, including HIV.

“So, if the price becomes unaffordable, the glaring consequence, which is very damning, is that we might begin to experience an unwarranted increase in population, which distorts national development and growth indices. So, it’s not something any government or people would want to risk because of these very significant consequences.

“Then, of course, at a time when we are still contending with proper management of HIV/AIDS and, of course, STIs, this becomes a huge danger to public health interests, because more people will begin to practise unprotected sex when the cost becomes unaffordable,” he said.

Corroborating Akintayo, the immediate past Vice Chairman of PSN, Ogun State chapter, Dr Olumide Obube, said the consequence of a hike in prices and scarcity of condoms could be dire.

“Condoms remain one of the cheapest, simplest, and most effective dual-protection tools because they prevent both sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancies. If condoms become expensive, many people will not necessarily stop having sex; rather, they may stop using protection.