The National Health Service (NHS) in England is rolling out a groundbreaking one-minute injection for cancer treatment that could benefit tens of thousands of patients. The new injectable form of the drug pembrolizumab, known by the brand name Keytruda, works by instructing the body's immune system to identify and destroy cancer cells. It is effective against a range of cancers, including lung, breast, head and neck, and cervical cancer.
Previously, patients had to receive the drug intravenously through a drip, a process that could take 30 to 45 minutes. The new injection reduces treatment time by up to 90%, cutting it to just one or two minutes depending on the regimen. Around 14,000 patients in England start pembrolizumab therapy each year, and most are expected to transition to the injectable form.
Patient Experiences
One of the first recipients of the new injection was 89-year-old Shirley Xerxes from St Albans, Hertfordshire, who is being treated for bowel cancer at Mount Vernon Cancer Centre, part of East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust. She described the experience positively: "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, Stephen Friend, 67, who has melanoma and is also treated at Mount Vernon, said: "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."
Benefits for Staff and the Health System
Vikash Dodhia, head of pharmacy at Mount Vernon, highlighted the advantages for both patients and healthcare workers. "With immunotherapy treatment, patients have to have an IV drip, essentially about 100mls, so about a third of a Coke can. That's got to go through the veins, and it will take about half an hour or 45 minutes. With this new way of giving it, it's 4mls – less than a teaspoon. So 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. And we all know, particularly in cancer, the sooner you start the treatment, the better the benefit there is. And the drug itself, in terms of cost to the NHS, is exactly the same."
Professor Peter Johnson, NHS national clinical director for cancer, emphasized the broader impact: "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, but it will also help free up vital appointments for NHS teams to treat more people and continue to bring down waiting times."
How Pembrolizumab Works
Pembrolizumab, manufactured by MSD, works by blocking a protein called PD-1, which acts as a brake on immune responses. By releasing this brake, the immune system is able to recognize and attack cancer cells more effectively. Analysis by MSD suggests that the injection reduces the time staff spend on preparing treatment by 44%.
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting, himself a cancer survivor, commented: "As a cancer survivor, I know how important quick treatment is, and 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."
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. The rollout marks a significant step forward in cancer care, offering a more efficient and patient-friendly approach to immunotherapy.
