Thousands of cancer patients in England to benefit from new immunotherapy jab

Thousands of patients across England each year will benefit from a new immunotherapy treatment that can be used for several types of cancer, the NHS has announced.

The injectable form of pembrolizumab, which can be administered in under two minutes, kills cancer cells by blocking a protein called PD-1, which acts as a brake on immune responses, allowing the immune system to recognise and attack cancer cells.

This new form of immunotherapy will replace pembrolizumab, which is administered via an intravenous drip in a specialist clean room. Preparing and administering it can be time-consuming and expensive for NHS staff to maintain, taking about two hours per session for patient.

Most of the 14,000 patients already taking pembrolizumab are expected to benefit from the new injectable version.

It is estimated the treatment, which will be given every three weeks as a one-minute injection or every six weeks as a two-minute injection, will save the NHS more than 100,000 hours of preparation and treatment time each year.

Up to 15,000 cancer patients became eligible last year for nivolumab, an immunotherapy injection that takes three to five minutes to administer. With the addition of this treatment, there are now two immunotherapies available for almost 30 types of cancer on the NHS.

Prof Peter Johnson, the 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 help free up vital appointments for NHS teams to treat more people and continue to bring down waiting times.”

Shirley Xerxes, an 89-year-old from St Albans, was one of the first patients to receive this new treatment on the NHS. “I can’t believe how little time it took,” she said. “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.”

University hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS foundation trust will be one of the first in England to provide the treatment, alongside the East and North Hertfordshire teaching NHS trust.

James Richardson, the national specialty adviser for cancer drugs at NHS England, said: “This 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.