Patients to benefit from a new NHS immunotherapy jab

Patients to benefit from a new NHS immunotherapy jab for over a dozen different cancers, which can be given in just 60 seconds.

The NHS is introducing a new injectable form of pembrolizumab (Keytruda) which will potentially cut the time treatment takes by up to 90%, improving patient experience and freeing hospital clinical time. The jab treats 14 different cancer types (including lung, breast, head and neck, and cervical).

The new treatment:

• Is expected to benefit most of the 4,000 patients in England who start pembrolizumab therapy each year
• Is an under-the-skin injection, replacing an intravenous infusion (which can take up to two hours in total per session)
• Will be given every three weeks as a one-minute injection, or every six weeks as a two-minute injection

Currently, hospital pharmacy teams need to carefully prepare intravenous bags under specialist sterile conditions. Moving to the subcutaneous injection will remove preparation and free up clinic time and space for more patients to receive treatment.

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