Tens of thousands of patients could benefit from a rapid new immunotherapy jab on the NHS that can be given in just 60 seconds. The ready-to-administer subcutaneous form of pembrolizumab (Keytruda) reduces treatment time by up to 90%, helping patients spend less time in hospital and improving NHS productivity.
The injection can be used to treat 14 cancer types, including lung, breast, head and neck, and cervical cancers. Pembrolizumab works by blocking PD-1, a protein that restrains immune responses, releasing the immune system to recognise and attack cancer cells.
Around 14,000 patients start pembrolizumab each year in England and most are expected to benefit from the more convenient delivery. The new formulation replaces many intravenous (IV) infusions that can take up to two hours per session. Depending on cancer type, the treatment will be given every three weeks as a one-minute injection or every six weeks as a two-minute injection. Patients who receive pembrolizumab alongside other IV therapies may continue with infusions where clinically appropriate.
One of the first UK patients to receive the new jab was 89-year-old Shirley Xerxes from St Albans, treated at Mount Vernon Cancer Centre. Shirley said: “I was really happy to try out this new way of getting my treatment. I can’t believe how little time it took. 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.”
Switching to the pre-prepared injection also removes the need for hospital pharmacy teams to prepare IV bags under specialist sterile conditions, saving staff time and freeing clinic capacity for more patients.
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. 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.”
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: “Our National Cancer Plan promised to do more and go faster for patients – already we are delivering that change. As a cancer survivor, I know how important quick treatment is, and this roll out will offer quicker, more convenient care, saving patients time and helping them in their recovery with less time in hospital. Not only that – it’ll also free up valuable time so clinicians can care for even more people and potentially save even more lives.”
James Richardson, National Specialty Advisor for Cancer Drugs at NHS England, said the change is “a win-win innovation because patients will spend far less time in hospital and crucially our clinical teams will have more capacity to care for others.” John McNeill, Oncology Business Unit Director at MSD UK, added: “We are pleased to introduce this new treatment option for patients that can be administered in 1 minute every 3 weeks or in 2 minutes every 6 weeks – significantly faster than IV delivery. This not only enhances the patient experience for many but also frees up valuable time for clinicians.”
Michelle Mitchell, Chief Executive at Cancer Research UK, said: “It’s great news that this immunotherapy treatment, which is already used to treat multiple cancers, will be available as an injection on the NHS. This will speed up the delivery of treatment, allowing people to spend more time living their lives outside of hospital, as well as freeing up time for staff to care for other patients. At a time when capacity across the NHS is severely limited, innovations like this are crucial. It’s important the UK government continues to dedicate resources to ensuring proven treatments reach patients quickly and fairly.”
The rollout aims to modernise cancer care by improving convenience for patients and increasing capacity across NHS services.
