NHS Rolls Out 1-Minute Keytruda Injections for 14,000 Patients

The National Health Service in England has begun rolling out a new injectable form of the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab, known as Keytruda, which reduces treatment time from over an hour to as little as one minute for around 14,000 cancer patients annually. The change, introduced at centers including the Mount Vernon Cancer Centre near Watford, allows subcutaneous injections every three weeks or every six weeks, depending on the cancer type, replacing time-consuming intravenous infusions.

Previously, hospital pharmacy teams prepared 100 milliliters of the drug in sterile intravenous bags for infusion through a cannula, a process that took 30 to 60 minutes or longer per session, plus additional preparation time. The new ready-to-use injection requires just 4 milliliters and eliminates the need for vein access, cutting overall procedure time by up to 90 percent, according to NHS officials. This third such immunotherapy jab on the NHS follows a similar update for nivolumab last year.

Shirley Xerxes, an 86-year-old from St Albans, Hertfordshire, with bowel cancer, was among the first to receive the injection at Mount Vernon Cancer Centre, part of East and North Hertfordshire...