One-minute NHS cancer jab could benefit thousands
The new treatment will cut timings by up to 90%, data suggests.
The NHS is introducing a one-minute jab that could help tens of thousands of cancer patients.
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Until now, the roughly 14,000 people a year in England using pembrolizumab (Keytruda) have had to spend long periods using a drip to get the drug into their system.
However, the new treatment can cut timings by up to 90% in the injectable form.
The jab works by telling the body's immune system to recognise and kill cancer cells, and is a powerful treatment against lung, breast, head and neck, and cervical cancer in particular.
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The treatment is given every three weeks as a one-minute injection or every six weeks as a two-minute injection, depending on the cancer type.
The new treatment is hoped to "help free up vital appointments for NHS teams to treat more people and continue to bring down waiting times".
Currently hospital pharmacy teams have to prepare the drug in intravenous bags under sterile conditions, which can be time consuming.
The ready-to-use injection should reduce the time workers spend on preparing treatment by 44%, according to MSD analysis.