Up to 15,000 cancer patients a year in England could receive a quick injection of the immunotherapy drug nivolumab, NHS England has announced. The health service is the first in Europe to offer the injectable form of the drug, known as Opdivo, as an alternative to intravenous infusion.
The injection takes just three to five minutes to administer, compared to up to an hour for the drip. Nivolumab is suitable for 15 different cancers, including lung, bowel, kidney, bladder, oesophageal, skin, and head and neck cancers. Patients typically require treatment every two or four weeks.
NHS England said the move would save more than a year's worth of treatment time annually. Professor Peter Johnson, the national clinical director for cancer, stated: '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.'
The drug works by blocking signals from tumour cells that suppress the immune system. It binds to the PD-1 protein on T-cells, preventing cancer cells from deactivating them and enabling the immune system to detect and destroy tumours.
About 1,200 patients per month could benefit from switching to the jab, and most new patients are expected to receive it. The injections will not cost the NHS more than infusions, following a price agreement with manufacturer Bristol Myers Squibb. Naser Turabi of Cancer Research UK welcomed the innovation, noting it is 'vital for treating cancer patients sooner and more efficiently.'
