Introduction of Pembrolizumab in Northern Ireland Health Trusts
Health Minister Mike Nesbitt has confirmed that pembrolizumab (Keytruda), a significant injectable cancer drug used to treat multiple cancer types, is currently being administered in three of Northern Ireland's five health trusts.
Pembrolizumab is an immunotherapy treatment that enhances the body's immune system to target and destroy cancer cells.
Earlier this week, there were public calls for the availability of this injectable drug in Northern Ireland following announcements of its use in England and Wales. However, Nesbitt clarified that the drug is already accessible within Northern Ireland and expressed optimism about extending its prescription to all health trusts for suitable patients in the near future.
Traditionally, patients receive pembrolizumab via a drip infusion, which can take over an hour in hospital settings. The injectable form is faster and less invasive.
After receiving approval from the UK medicines regulator, NHS hospitals across the UK are authorized to order subcutaneous pembrolizumab. The implementation timeline for the rollout is determined by local trusts and hospitals, as previously stated by a representative of the drug's manufacturer to NI.
Minister's Statement on Rollout Benefits
"I recognise the benefits of rolling out drugs such as Keytruda to patients in Northern Ireland in terms of saving precious time for those receiving treatment for cancer as well as releasing valuable time so clinicians can care for more people," Nesbitt said.
He further noted that three of the five trusts had already introduced injectable Keytruda as of April last year. This rollout is part of a managed transition involving extensive work to update clinical protocols and reduce waste of the existing infusion product.
Details on Pembrolizumab Usage and Administration
Keytruda is already utilized to treat various cancers and functions as an immunotherapy agent that assists the immune system in attacking cancer cells.
The injectable version has been available to patients in England and Wales since Monday.
Since 2015, NHS patients have received pembrolizumab through intravenous infusion, which requires more than an hour for administration in hospital.
With the new injectable form, treatment is administered every three weeks as a one-minute injection or every six weeks as a two-minute injection, depending on the patient's specific cancer diagnosis.
NHS England has indicated that this new injection method is expected to save valuable time for both patients and healthcare staff.
What is Immunotherapy?
Cancer cells can evade the body's immune system by producing proteins that send a "stop signal" to immune cells, preventing them from attacking. Some scientists liken this to the disease hiding behind an "invisibility cloak."
Immunotherapy works by blocking this stop signal, allowing immune cells to recognize and destroy cancer cells more effectively.
This discovery earned scientists James Allison and Tasuku Honjo the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2018.
Keytruda was among the first immunotherapy drugs approved, initially for skin cancer and subsequently for other cancer types.
By most measures, it has become the world's best-selling prescription medicine, with global sales projected at $30 billion (£22 billion) in 2025.
Until now, hospital pharmacy teams have prepared pembrolizumab in sterile conditions as an infusion bag administered intravenously through a cannula.
