Spire Little Aston Hospital pioneers new time-saving chemo drug

A drug that can cut chemotherapy sessions by more than six hours has just been introduced at a Sutton Coldfield hospital.

Breast cancer patients now having chemotherapy sessions at Spire Little Aston Hospital could become some of the first in the country to have the Phesgo subcutaneous injection.

Saika Razaq, Pharmacy Manager at the hospital, explained that a subcutaneous injection is administered into the layer of skin directly below the dermis and epidermis - collectively referred to as the cutis.

She said: “The subcutaneous route is administered over eight minutes for the initial dose. Patients are then monitored for 30 minutes after the dosage. Monitoring time is reduced to just 15 minutes for all following doses.

“In comparison, the intravenous route, where the drug is injected directly into a vein, is administered over 90 minutes and then monitored for 6 hours for the initial loading dose. Subsequent doses are administered over 30 minutes and monitoring required for two hours.

“Shorter chemo sessions are such a boost for patients – it takes away the stress of being in the hospital for almost a full day while also freeing up chemo units and of course nurses time.

“We are really proud and excited to be able to offer this new formulation so quickly after its arrival into the world of cancer treatment.”

Patient Ann, centre, with Cancer Nurse Jo-Ann and Pharmacist Saika as she becomes Little Aston’s first patient to be given the new chemotherapy drug