On 30 April 2025, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) authorised a new under-the-skin injection variation of nivolumab (OPDIVO). This offers a quicker administration of the treatment for eligible patients.
Nivolumab is a monoclonal antibody that binds to a protein called programmed death-1 on an immune cell called T-cells. This process blocks cancer cells from switching off T-cells and allows the immune system to detect and destroy cancer cells.
Instead of the 30–60-minute IV drip, nivolumab is an injection that can be given in as little as 3–5 minutes.
There are more than a dozen common cancers that can be treated by nivolumab such as:
- Lung
- Bowel
- Kidney
- Bladder
- Oesophageal
- Skin
- Head and neck
It is estimated that around 1,200 patients in England per month could benefit from the new cancer jab. Furthermore, around two in five patients who currently receive IV nivolumab, which is one of the most frequently used cancer treatments, could be eligible for the new injection.
NHS staff could save around 1,000 hours of treatment time for patients and clinicians every month. This is a key achievement in treating cancer for eligible patients.
Announcing the rollout on NHS England, its National Clinical Director for Cancer, Professor Peter Johnson, said: ‘Immunotherapy has already been a huge step forward for many NHS patients with cancer, and being able to offer it is an injection in minutes means we can make the process far more convenient.’
