A groundbreaking one-minute jab is set to transform cancer treatment for thousands of patients across the NHS. This innovative injection, which instructs the body’s immune system to identify and destroy cancer cells, has shown remarkable effectiveness against various types of cancer, including lung, breast, head and neck, and cervical cancers.
Previously, patients had to endure lengthy intravenous drips to receive pembrolizumab (Keytruda), a drug that plays a crucial role in immunotherapy. The introduction of an injectable form of this medication promises to reduce treatment time by up to 90%, significantly improving patient experience and efficiency within the healthcare system.
One of the first individuals to receive this new treatment on the NHS was 89-year-old Shirley Xerxes from St Albans in Hertfordshire, who is undergoing treatment for bowel cancer. She was treated at the Mount Vernon Cancer Centre, part of East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust.
Shirley shared her positive experience, saying: “Having the injection has been great, and the nurse was so good, so kind. I just had it in my tummy. But it’s not as quick as a Covid jab. It takes a couple of minutes. I feel appreciative, really. I mean, we don’t have to pay for it. It’s good, I’m very appreciative. It’s been wonderful. Now I can spend more time on gardening, especially now spring is here.”
Another patient being treated at Mount Vernon, Stephen Friend, 67, who has melanoma, added: “This new process takes away a lot of the stress, I think. Up until now, I’ve been extremely healthy and haven’t really used the NHS. And it’s just been amazing.”
Currently, hospital pharmacy teams must carefully prepare the drug in intravenous bags under sterile conditions, which is a time-consuming process for NHS staff. The shift to a ready-to-use injection will free up valuable staff time, allowing them to focus on other critical tasks.
Approximately 14,000 patients begin pembrolizumab therapy each year in England, and most are expected to transition to the new injection method. The treatment is administered every three weeks as a one-minute injection or every six weeks as a two-minute injection, depending on the type of cancer.
Vikash Dodhia, head of pharmacy at Mount Vernon, highlighted the significance of this change: “We believe Shirley was actually the first patient in the country to receive that particular treatment. With immunotherapy treatment, patients have to have an IV drip, which is about 100mls, almost a third of a Coke can. That takes about half an hour or 45 minutes to administer. With this new way of giving it, it’s 4mls – less than a teaspoon. For a patient, it means they get all of that time back. For staff, if you’re able to give the treatments much quicker, that means you can actually treat more patients through the treatment chairs.”
He also noted that the cost of the drug to the NHS remains the same. Professor Peter Johnson, NHS national clinical director for cancer, emphasized the benefits: “Managing cancer treatment and regular hospital trips can be really exhausting. This innovation makes therapy much quicker and more convenient for patients, while also helping free up vital appointments for NHS teams to treat more people and continue to bring down waiting times.”
Pembrolizumab, manufactured by MSD, works by blocking a protein called PD-1, which acts as a brake on immune responses, allowing the immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells. MSD analysis suggests the injection reduces the amount of time staff spend preparing treatment by 44%.
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting expressed his support, stating: “As a cancer survivor, I know how important quick treatment is. This rollout 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.”
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