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NHS cancer jab could mean patients spend hours less in hospital
A new injectable form of Keytruda could shorten hospital treatment times from over an hour to minutes, with NHS England planning dosing every three or six weeks. The rollout began with a patient at Mount Vernon Cancer Centre, and the change could free up NHS resources and enable community treatment.
Why It Matters
If adopted widely, the injectable form could reduce hospital time for patients and ease pressure on NHS chemotherapy units by freeing up space and enabling treatment outside hospitals.
Timeline
9 Events
Cost details and MSD deal confidentiality
May 3, 2026
NHS England cannot disclose the cost of the injectable version; the deal with Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD) is confidential, with payments understood to be around the same price as the infusion version.
Patent expiry timelines for Keytruda
May 3, 2026
The patents protecting the original Keytruda are due to expire in 2028 in the US and 2031 in Europe, potentially allowing cheaper generics in the future.
Annual Keytruda patient numbers and switch to injectable form
May 3, 2026
About 14,000 cancer patients in England start on a course of Keytruda each year, with most expected to move to the injectable version.
NHS officials cite time savings and capacity benefits
May 3, 2026
NHS England says the faster injection could free up space in chemotherapy units and support delivering treatment in the community.
New Keytruda dosing regimens announced
May 3, 2026
The injectable Keytruda will be given every three weeks as a one-minute injection or every six weeks as a two-minute injection, depending on the cancer diagnosis.
First patient receives Keytruda injectable jab
May 3, 2026
Shirley Xerxes, 86, from St Albans, was among the first patients to receive the injectable Keytruda jab at Mount Vernon Cancer Centre near Watford.
Injectable form of Opdivo introduced in hospitals
2025
A new injectable form of another immunotherapy, Opdivo (nivolumab), was introduced in some hospitals last year (2025).
Nobel Prize awarded for immunotherapy concept
2018
The immunotherapy approach underpinning drugs like Keytruda was recognized with the Nobel Prize in medicine in 2018, awarded to James Allison and Tasuku Honjo.
Keytruda launched in infusion form
2015
Since 2015 NHS patients have received Keytruda via intravenous infusion, a process that can take more than an hour to administer in hospital.