England has become the first country in Europe to roll out a faster form of cancer immunotherapy through the NHS.

 

 England has become the first country in Europe to roll out a faster form of  cancer immunotherapy through the NHS.

The treatment uses under-the-skin injections of checkpoint inhibitor drugs such as atezolizumab, sold as Tecentriq, and nivolumab, sold as Opdivo.

These medicines were already used in standard intravenous form. The new subcutaneous injection method gives patients the same clinical care in much less time.

Instead of spending up to an hour receiving treatment through an IV drip, some patients can now receive the medicine in about 3 to 7 minutes.

The injections are approved for use across up to 15 different  cancer types. These include lung, bladder, breast, liver, kidney, oesophageal, head and neck, and skin  cancers.

Checkpoint inhibitors work by helping the immune system recognize cancer cells and attack them more effectively.

Clinical research has supported the change. The IMscin001 trial showed that subcutaneous atezolizumab was similarly effective and safe compared with the traditional intravenous version.

NHS England has said the rollout should improve patient experience, reduce time spent in hospital, and free up thousands of clinician hours each month.

The change is also expected to be cost-neutral for the NHS because of negotiated pricing agreements.

This marks an important step for cancer care in the UK, making treatment faster, more convenient, and easier to deliver while maintaining the same standard of care.R