Thousands of patients will benefit from a new cancer jab for more than a dozen types of the disease, with the NHS the first in Europe to offer the new injection.
The health service is rolling out an injectable form of immunotherapy, nivolumab, which means patients can receive their fortnightly or monthly treatment in 5 minutes instead of up to an hour via an IV drip.
The roll-out will save over a year’s worth of treatment time for patients and NHS teams annually – enabling patients to spend less time in hospital while freeing up staff capacity to deliver more appointments and treatments.
The new jab can be used to treat 15 cancer types, including skin cancer, bladder, and oesophagus, and it is estimated around 1,200 patients in England per month could benefit.
This follows approval from the UK’s medicines regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) today.
In clinical trials, patients were highly satisfied with the under-the-skin injection, which takes 3-5 minutes to administer, and preferred it to the IV form of the drug which takes 30 to 60 minutes every 2 weeks or four weeks, depending on the cancer type.
Around 2 in 5 patients who currently receive IV nivolumab, which is one of the most widely used cancer treatments, should be eligible for the new jab.
NHS staff administering the jab could save around 1,000 hours of treatment time for patients and clinicians every month – the equivalent of more than 1 full year of time annually.
Most eligible new patients are also expected to begin on the injectable form of nivolumab.
NHS cancer services will now be preparing to treat the first patients with the new treatment next month when supplies of the product are received in the UK, helping to free up valuable resources in nursing and pharmacy teams, as well as helping with capacity demands in cancer day units, where the drug is currently administered.
This is the latest in a series of NHS cancer treatment innovations introduced to save patients time and improve access, including the rollout of new injections for breast cancer, multiple sclerosis, and blood disorders.
Professor Peter Johnson, NHS England National Clinical Director for Cancer said: “Immunotherapy has already been a huge step forward for many NHS patients with cancer, and being able to offer it as an injection in minutes means we can make the process far more convenient.
“This treatment is used for 15 different types of the disease, so it will free up thousands of valuable clinicians’ time every year, allowing teams to treat even more patients and helping hospital capacity.
“And this is just the latest development in the NHS’s ongoing commitment to provide patients with the latest cancer therapies and treatment options that truly transform lives”.
Minister for Public Health and Prevention Ashley Dalton said: “Britain is a hotbed of innovation, masterminding the newest tech and medical inventions to help people navigating illness. A new jab that fastens up cancer treatment is a prime example of this, so it’s fantastic to see cancer patients in England will be among the first in Europe to benefit.
“With cancer medicines getting better all the time, this government will ensure that NHS patients are among the first to access the latest treatments and technology.
“Our National Cancer Plan will transform the way we approach this disease, improving care and bringing this country’s cancer survival rates back up to the standards of the best in the world”.
The faster treatment comes at no extra cost to the NHS thanks to an agreement negotiated by NHS England with the manufacturer Bristol Myers Squibb.
James Richardson, Clinical Pharmacist and National Specialty Adviser for Cancer Drugs said: “I am delighted that NHS patients across England will soon be able to benefit from this quicker-to-administer, effective treatment, that can be used to treat a range of cancer types, including skin cancer and solid tumours originating in the kidneys. This is a significant advancement in cancer treatment, with the potential to improve the lives of thousands of patients each month”.
Elizabeth O’Mahony, NHS England Chief Financial Officer said: “This is fantastic news for patients – reducing treatment times from an hour to just minutes is a huge boost for people going through cancer care, helping them to spend less time in hospital.
“It’s also a major win for the NHS, saving the equivalent of a year’s worth of treatment time which can be used to deliver other care, building on the great strides made in the past 6 months, and thanks to a deal struck by NHS England this quick treatment will be available without any additional cost”.
The rollout forms part of NHS England’s 3-pillar approach to delivering the best value from medicines – combining cutting-edge innovations such as a potential cure for sickle cell and life-changing cystic fibrosis drugs; smarter use of biosimilars and generics delivering hundreds of millions in annual savings; and new treatments like this that free up clinical capacity and improve patient experience.
