The British state-operated national health service is poised to achieve a groundbreaking milestone by offering an injectable treatment for cancer patients, becoming the first healthcare system globally to do so. This treatment has the potential to reduce the duration of therapy by up to seventy-five percent for hundreds of cancer patients in the UK.
Following the approval from the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), NHS England announced on Tuesday its plan to provide “under the skin” injections of atezolizumab, also known as Tecentriq, to cancer patients. This change is expected to result in greater time efficiency for both patients and cancer care teams.
Dr. Alexander Martin, a consultant oncologist at West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, highlighted the significance of this approval, noting that it not only enables more convenient and expedited patient care, but also empowers healthcare teams to attend to more patients throughout the day.
Traditionally, atezolizumab has been administered intravenously through a drip, a process that can take up to 30 to 60 minutes and might be challenging for patients with difficult vein access. The newly approved injection method takes just about seven minutes, significantly reducing the time required for treatment.
Atezolizumab, developed by Roche company Genentech, is an immunotherapy drug that enhances the patient’s immune system to identify and eliminate cancer cells. This treatment is currently available for NHS patients suffering from a variety of cancers, including lung, breast, liver, and bladder cancers.
NHS England anticipates that a majority of its 3,600 annual cancer patients will opt for the time-saving injection method when starting atezolizumab treatment. However, patients receiving a combination of intravenous chemotherapy and atezolizumab may continue to receive transfusion-based treatment.
Prof. Peter Johnson, NHS England’s national director for cancer, emphasized the transformative impact of this innovation-driven healthcare approach. He highlighted that this world-first introduction of treatment not only reduces hospital time for patients but also eases the burden on NHS chemotherapy units. This change aligns with the goal of maintaining the best possible quality of life for cancer patients.
The move underscores how an innovative healthcare system can secure advanced cancer treatments for patients, Johnson stated, underlining the positive impact on patient well-being and healthcare resource allocation.
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