NHS England has become the first national health service in Europe to offer Bristol Myers Squibb’s injectable cancer immunotherapy nivolumab (Opdivo). 

Nivolumab is a monoclonal antibody that binds to PD-1 (programmed death-1) on T-cells. 

The jab can be used to treat 15 cancer types, including skin cancer, bladder, and oesophagus, and means treatment can be administered in five minutes instead of up to an hour via an IV drip. 

It will enable cancer patients to spend less time in hospital while freeing up staff capacity to deliver more appointments and treatments. 

The announcement follows approval from the UK’s medicines regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). 

The approval was based on evidence from a Phase III clinical trial in patients with advanced or metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma. 

Results showed that the injection produced comparable levels of drug in the body and a similar safety and tumour response profile to the IV formulation.   

Around two in five patients who currently receive IV nivolumab, which is one of the most widely used cancer treatments, should be eligible for the new jab. 

Professor Peter Johnson, NHS England National Clinical Director for Cancer, said: “Immunotherapy has already been a huge step forward for many NHS patients with cancer, and being able to offer it as an injection in minutes means we can make the process far more convenient. 

“This treatment is used for 15 different types of the disease, so it will free up thousands of valuable clinicians’ time every year, allowing teams to treat even more patients and helping hospital capacity.”

Diana Spencer, Senior Digital Content Editor, DDW