This 'super-jab' reduces cancer treatment time to just 5 minutes
What's the story
The National Health Service (NHS) in England is all set to revolutionize cancer treatment with a groundbreaking five-minute "super-jab."
This injection, an injectable version of the immunotherapy drug nivolumab, is aimed at treating 15 different types of cancer, including skin, bladder, and esophagus cancers.
The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the UK's medicines regulator, approved its use on Wednesday.
Treatment efficiency
'Super-jab' offers a faster alternative to traditional treatment
The "super-jab" provides a quicker alternative to conventional cancer treatments.
Patients can now get their fortnightly or monthly treatment in just five minutes, as opposed to the previous method of an IV drip, which could take as long as an hour.
This innovation is likely to drastically cut down the time taken for cancer treatment, potentially saving an estimated 1,000 hours per month, equating to over one full year annually, for 1,200 patients in England every month.
Patient satisfaction
Clinical trials show patient preference for 'super-jab'
Clinical trials have shown that patients are "highly satisfied" with the under-the-skin injection of nivolumab.
They preferred it over the IV form of the drug, which takes between 30 to 60 minutes every two or four weeks, depending on cancer type.
NHS cancer services are now preparing to administer this new treatment to their first patients next month when supplies arrive in the UK.
Expert opinion
National Clinical Director for cancer weighs in
Professor Peter Johnson, the National Clinical Director for cancer at NHS England, spoke about this new treatment.
He said, "Immunotherapy has already been a huge step forward for many NHS patients with cancer."
Johnson added that offering it as an injection in minutes will make the process far more convenient.
He also noted that this treatment is used for 15 different types of diseases and will free up thousands of valuable clinicians' time every year.
Treatment impact
Patients to benefit from quicker, effective treatment
James Richardson, NHS England's National Specialty Adviser for cancer drugs, was delighted over this new treatment.
He said, "NHS patients across England will soon be able to benefit from this quicker-to-administer, effective treatment."
Ashley Dalton, Minister for Public Health and Prevention, lauded this cancer treatment innovation.
She said, "Britain is a hotbed of innovation, masterminding the newest tech and medical inventions to help people navigate illness. A new jab that fastens up cancer treatment is a prime example of this."