Accord UK says its Pelgraz Pre-filled Injector (PFI; pegfilgrastim) is now available for cancer patients in the UK, enabling them to self-inject at home and thus reduce trips to hospital.

Pelgraz PFI is indicated to reduce the duration of neutropenia and the incidence of febrile neutropenia in adults undergoing cytotoxic chemotherapy.

Neutropenic events are a frequent and significant complication of chemotherapy, and can result in chemotherapy dose delays and reductions for patients, with febrile neutropenia potentially causing life-threatening infection and extended hospitalisation.

Filgrastim therapy involves daily injections for patients with return visits to hospital after chemotherapy, or at home through either a nurse visit or self-administration.

Accord's Pelgraz PFI provides a one dose per chemotherapy cycle regime in a self-injector device, which patients can use at home, reducing the need for hospital visits for patients who are immunocompromised.

The firm has also developed an app with features to remind patients when and how to administer their injection, support with tracking any side effects and symptoms experienced during active treatment, and information on pegfilgrastim and neutropenia to help increase understanding of the treatment.

“Evidence shows that travelling to, and attending hospital visits, are one of the major contributing factors that negatively impact the quality of life for people living with cancer. Reducing the number of times that a patient must visit the clinic or hospital, at a time when they are living with the side-effects of chemotherapy and when their immune systems are compromised, must be a priority for patients and their healthcare team,” said Professor Hartmut Link, Professor of Medicine, external faculty at University Medical Centre, Hannover, Germany.

“Being able to offer the option of spending more time at home during chemotherapy treatment is something I know patients genuinely welcome and also means that the clinic could potentially make more effective use of nurse resources”.