Key Summary
- New NHS immunotherapy jab will only take 6 seconds.
- It saves the time of patients as well as healthcare professionals.
- Avoids frequent hospital visits and frees up appointments.
The NHS is rolling out a new immunotherapy injection which will help tens of thousands of cancer patients, which can be administered in just one minute.
The new under-the-skin injection replaces an intravenous (IV) infusion, which can take up to 2 hours per session.
The drug can be used for 14 different types of cancers including lung, breast, head, neck and many other cancers.
Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) manufactured by MSD, will be made available via the NHS which will reduce 90 per cent of the treatment time, helping the patents to spend less time at the hospital while enhancing NHS productivity.
The drug acts by triggering immune cells to the cancer cells and killing them, while it also blocks the PD-1 protein that acts an obstacle to the immune responses of the body.
Currently, 14,000 patients are expected to receive the new immunotherapy jabs every three weeks as a one-minute injection or every 6 weeks as a two-minute injection annually.
The interval of the injections are decided based on the cancer type.
“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,” said Professor Peter Johnson, NHS national clinical director for Cancer.
He said, “Managing cancer treatment and regular hospital trips can be really exhausting, and not only will this innovation make therapy much quicker and more convenient for patients, it will also help free up vital appointments for NHS teams to treat more people and continue to bring down waiting times”.
“The government is providing the health service with record funding - around 40,000 more people are starting treatment on time, and rates of early diagnosis are hitting record highs. Through innovations like this, we’re making every penny and every second count, and ensuring patients get NHS care that fits around their lives, not the other way around,” said health secretary, Wes Streeting.
Shirley Xerxes, is one of the first patients to receive the jab at the Mount Vermon Cancer Centre under the East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust.
“I was only in the chair for a matter of minutes instead of an hour or more. It’s made such a difference and gives me more time to live my life, including spending more time gardening,” she said.
