A leading cancer researcher warns Northern Ireland patients should not be left behind as a new injectable form of pembrolizumab (Keytruda) is rolled out in other parts of the UK. The treatment, which reduces hospital time for NHS patients, is under review by the Department of Health in Northern Ireland.
The Department of Health said it is "aware" of the jab and is "exploring" how it can be made available to patients in Northern Ireland "as soon as possible" A leading cancer researcher has said that Northern Ireland patients should not be left behind in a "postcode lottery" as a new injectable cancer drug is rolled out across other parts of the UK.
The treatment, a new injectable form of the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab , is expected to significantly reduce the time thousands of NHS patients spend in hospital. Prof Mark Lawler, from Queen's University Belfast, said the scientific community will be "calling out" for patients to have rapid access to the drug. The Department of Health said it is "aware" of the jab and is "exploring" how it can be made available to patients in Northern Ireland "as soon as possible".
Keytruda, which is already used to treat multiple cancers, is a type of immunotherapy that helps the body's own immune system attack cancer cells. In its new form, the treatment will be given every three weeks as a one-minute injection or every six weeks as a two-minute injection, depending on an individual's cancer diagnosis.
Cancer treatment times halved with new injection Since 2015, NHS patients have received the world's best-selling drug through a drip – or intravenous infusion – which can take more than an hour to administer in hospital. NHS England says the new injection should cut that procedure to just a couple of minutes, saving patients and staff valuable time.
"It's something that's revolutionary in a way. "A really novel approach to treating cancer which is probably the biggest development in the last 25 years in terms of immunotherapy. " He added that it is "good news" for patients but also "good news for the health system, because the health system can then do things much more quickly". Lawler said that it is "not good" that the drug is not yet available in Northern Ireland.
"The first thing we need to do is get it for Northern Ireland… we don't want yet another postcode lottery. "We really need to set the scene so that if we're in the UK we get the same treatment whether we're in Belfast, Birmingham, Bradford or Burton-on-Trent," he added. "I've spoken to my colleagues in Scotland and they're equally as annoyed as I am that we're not getting this to our patients.
"I'm delighted that the DoH are looking for ways to get the approach to patients in Northern Ireland, and we're certainly happy to help in anyway that way we can. "Lawler said he cannot "specifically comment" on whether the reason Northern Ireland does not have it yet is due to departmental finances, but that would be his "sense of the issue".
"I'm guessing part of the thing is in relation to funding, but it's also important to recognise - sometimes you have to actually look at something and say 'this is something that is going to help save money for both the health system, and also deliver the best possible care for cancer patients' - surely that's a win-win situation? "I understand there are issues but we are giving out about waiting times, this is one approach that would actually save us some time," he added.
"Certainly the capacity isn't an issue because it saves time… it's not a logistical problem, it must be a financial problem. "Cancer can hide from the body's own immune system by producing proteins that send a "stop signal" telling our immune cells not to attack. Immunotherapy works by blocking the signal allowing those cancer cells to be more easily recognised and destroyed.
Keytruda was one of the earliest immunotherapy drugs to be approved, first for skin cancer and later for other forms of the disease. By most measures it is now the biggest-selling prescription medicine in the world, with global sales of $30bn in 2025. Until now, hospital pharmacy teams have had to prepare a bag of the drug under sterile conditions which is then given as an infusion into the vein through a cannula.
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Cancer Treatment Immunotherapy Keytruda Northern Ireland NHS
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