The NHS has begun rolling out a new injectable form of pembrolizumab that can be given in about 60 seconds, a move officials say could cut treatment time by up to 90% for tens of thousands of patients living with cancer in England.
The change means the immunotherapy, already used to treat multiple cancers, will be available as an injection rather than through a longer intravenous infusion. NHS England said the jab can be used for 14 different cancer types, including lung, breast, head and neck, and cervical cancer, and that around 14,000 patients start pembrolizumab therapy each year in England.
How the new jab could change cancer care
According to NHS England, the rapid injection is intended to help patients spend less time in hospital while also improving NHS productivity. The organisation said most patients receiving pembrolizumab in England are now expected to benefit from the more convenient treatment.
Michelle Mitchell, chief executive at Cancer Research UK, said it was great news that the treatment, which is already used to treat multiple cancers, will be available on the NHS as an injection. The first patients to receive the new time-saving injection included 89-year-old Shirley Xerxes from St Albans, who described being in the treatment chair for just a matter of minutes as “unbelievable.”
A wider shift toward faster treatment delivery
The rollout comes as the NHS continues looking for ways to reduce time spent in hospital for people receiving long-term care. By replacing a prolonged infusion with a short injection, the service hopes to ease pressure on treatment units while giving patients more time outside hospital.
The move is especially significant for people with cancers that require repeated immunotherapy sessions, where even modest reductions in appointment length can add up over many months of treatment. NHS England said the injectable version should make the therapy more convenient for both patients and staff.
For now, the new jab marks one of the most visible examples of how cancer treatment delivery is changing in the NHS. If the rollout performs as expected, it could become a model for other therapies where speed, convenience and hospital capacity all matter.
Source: NHS England
