NHS England said it expected the majority of the approximately 3,600 patients to start treatment
The UK state health service will be the first in the world to offer an injection that treats cancer to hundreds of patients in England, which could cut treatment time by up to three-quarters.
Following approval from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), NHS England said on Tuesday that hundreds of eligible patients being treated with the immunotherapy, atezolizumab, would receive a ‘subcutaneous’ injection, freeing up more time for cancer teams. .
“This approval will not only allow us to provide convenient and faster care to our patients, but will also enable our teams to treat more patients throughout the day,” said Dr. Alexander Martin, an oncologist consultant at West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust.
NHS England said atezolizumab, also known as Tecentriq, is usually given to patients intravenously, directly into their veins through a drip, which can often take around 30 minutes or up to an hour for some patients, when it can be difficult to access to a vein.
“It takes about seven minutes, compared to 30 to 60 minutes for the current method of an intravenous infusion,” said Marius Scholtz, medical director at Roche Products Limited.
Atezolizumab – made by Genentech, a Roche company – is an immunotherapy drug that enables a patient’s own immune system to find and destroy cancer cells. The treatment is currently being offered via transfusion to NHS patients with a range of cancers, including lung, breast, liver and bladder cancer.
NHS England said it expected the majority of the approximately 3,600 patients who start treatment with atezolizumab each year in England to switch to the time-saving injection.
But added that patients receiving intravenous chemotherapy in combination with atezolizumab may be able to remain transfused.
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