Tens of thousands of patients could benefit from a ‘rapid’ new immunotherapy jab on the NHS for over a dozen different cancers, which can be given in just 60 seconds.
The NHS is rolling out a new injectable form of pembrolizumab (Keytruda) which can slash the time the treatment takes by up to 90%, to help patients spend less time in hospital while improving NHS productivity.
The jab can be used to treat 14 different cancer types, including lung, breast, head and neck, and cervical, and works by triggering immune cells to recognise and kill cancer cells. One of the first patients to receive the new time-saving injection on the NHS hailed it as “unbelievable” to be in the treatment chair for just a “matter of minutes”.
Around 14,000 patients start pembrolizumab therapy each year in England, and most are now expected to benefit from the more convenient treatment. The injection replaces an intravenous infusion, which can take up to two hours in total per session, sparing patients unnecessary time in treatment units and freeing up capacity for clinicians to see and treat more people. The treatment will be given every three weeks as a 1-minute injection or every six weeks as a two-minute injection, depending on an individual’s cancer type.
Currently, hospital pharmacy teams need to carefully prepare the intravenous bags under specialist sterile conditions, which can be time-consuming for NHS staff. Moving to the ready-to-administer subcutaneous injection both removes this preparation and frees up vital clinic time and space for more patients to receive treatment.
Professor Peter Johnson, NHS National Clinical Director for Cancer said: “This immunotherapy offers a lifeline for thousands of patients and it’s fantastic that this new rapid jab can now take just a minute to deliver – meaning patients can get back to living their lives rather than spending hours in a hospital chair.
Pembrolizumab, manufactured by MSD, works by blocking a protein called PD-1, which acts as a brake on immune responses, releasing the immune system to recognise and attack cancer cells. Patients receiving the drug alongside other intravenous treatments may continue with an infusion where clinically appropriate.