Patients in England will be the first to access a seven-minute cancer vaccine | Cancer

Cancer

The NHS is the first health system to offer injections to hundreds of patients, which will cut treatment times by up to three quarters.

English patients will become the first in the world to benefit from a vaccine that treats cancer in seven minutes.

After gaining approval from the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the NHS will be the first healthcare system to offer the injection to hundreds of patients each year.

Drug treatment times for some NHS cancer patients will be cut by up to three-quarters.

Atezolizumab is usually given to patients intravenously via an IV infusion, but many will now receive immunotherapy via an injection.

The drug, also known as Tecentriq, treats different types of cancer, including lung, breast, liver and bladder cancers. It is given each year to around 3,600 patients in England.

It is expected that the majority of these people will now receive the drug via a seven-minute injection instead of the intravenous route, which usually takes between 30 minutes and an hour.

Patients receiving atezolizumab alongside chemotherapy can still receive the drug intravenously.

The drug is known as a checkpoint inhibitor and works by helping the immune system detect and kill cancer cells.

Professor Peter Johnson, National Director of Cancer at NHS England, said the decision highlights how an innovation-driven health service is ensuring patients have the most advanced cancer treatments.

“The introduction of this treatment, a world first, will mean that hundreds of patients will be able to spend less time in hospital and will free up valuable time in NHS chemotherapy units,” he said.

“It is essential to maintain the best possible quality of life for cancer patients. Introducing faster subcutaneous injections will therefore make a significant difference. »

NHS England said there was no additional cost to the faster treatment due to the existing commercial agreement negotiated with manufacturer Roche.

Marius Scholtz, Chief Medical Officer of Roche, said: “Injecting Tecentriq under the skin offers a faster treatment option as it takes approximately seven minutes, compared to 30-60 minutes for the current Tecentriq intravenous infusion method.

“We are delighted that NHS patients across England have access to subcutaneous injection of PD-L1 cancer immunotherapy. »

Studies suggest that the majority of cancer patients prefer to receive treatment subcutaneously – by injection or infusion just under the skin – due to reduced pain and discomfort, ease of administration and shorter treatment duration compared to IV infusion.

Thousands of cancer patients in England have benefited from the IV form of atezolizumab, which can significantly reduce the risk of cancer recurring.

In patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer, clinical trials have shown that atezolizumab can reduce the risk of cancer recurrence or death by 34%, after surgery and chemotherapy .

The innovative treatment works by blocking a protein that prevents the immune system from attacking cancer cells, making cancer cells more visible to the immune system.

It also emerged on Tuesday that the UK’s ability to certify medical devices has been boosted by the addition of three approved bodies.

This decision should almost double the current capacity, giving patients access to more effective products.

Approved Bodies are appointed by the MHRA to determine whether manufacturers and their medical devices meet the requirements set out in the Medical Devices Regulations 2002.

TÜV SÜD, Intertek and TÜV Rheinland UK have been added to the MHRA list. They will examine the quality and design of a device, as well as check each unit or batch.

Dr Laura Squire, MHRA Healthcare Quality and Access Manager, said: “By almost doubling the UK’s medical device assessment capacity, we are helping patients access products safe and effective products they need to protect their health.