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| The treatment, given every three weeks as a one-minute injection or every six weeks as a two-minute one, is the second immunotherapy jab available in England. Photograph: Shivansh Gupta/PA |
Fast-track immunotherapy already approved in Europe may eventually help cut waiting times and ease pressure on Cyprus oncology services.
Thousands of cancer patients across England are set to spend far less time in hospital thanks to a new injectable form of immunotherapy that can be given in as little as one or two minutes instead of through lengthy IV drips.
The treatment is a faster version of pembrolizumab, widely known under the brand name Keytruda, one of the world’s most commonly used cancer immunotherapies for diseases including lung, breast, skin and bladder cancers.
Until now, patients receiving the drug often spent around two hours in the hospital while the treatment was prepared and delivered through an intravenous drip.
Under the new system announced by England’s NHS, patients will instead receive a quick injection under the skin every three or six weeks, cutting treatment times dramatically.
Doctors say the change could make a major difference for cancer patients already exhausted by regular hospital visits.
“It’s fantastic that this new rapid jab can now take just a minute to deliver,” said NHS national cancer director Prof. Peter Johnson. “Patients can get back to living their lives rather than spending hours in a hospital chair.”
The NHS estimates the move will save more than 100,000 hours of treatment and preparation time each year, while also freeing up hospital staff and appointments for other patients.
The drug works by helping the immune system recognize and attack cancer cells. It blocks a protein known as PD-1, which cancers use to hide from the body’s natural defenses.
The injectable version has already been approved across the European Union by the European Commission, meaning Cyprus could potentially introduce it too once national health authorities and reimbursement procedures are completed.
For Cypriot patients, the development could eventually mean shorter hospital visits, less strain on oncology units and quicker access to treatment, especially as cancer services continue facing pressure across Europe.
One of the first patients in England to receive the injection, 89-year-old Shirley Xerxes, described the difference as life-changing.
“I was only in the chair for a matter of minutes instead of an hour or more,” she said. “It’s made such a difference and gives me more time to live my life.”
