Chemotherapy for cancer could soon be available at home for some patients, after Sanofi's cancer drug Sarclisa was approved in the EU as an injectable medication. Sarclisa is the first cancer drug in the EU to be administered via a portable injector and through manual subcutaneous injection, the company announced on Monday, which allows for more flexible use, including in the patient's home environment.
Sarclisa is used to treat multiple myeloma, a form of bone marrow cancer in which plasma cells multiply uncontrollably. The drug has been approved for treatment in nearly 60 countries since 2020. The new method of delivery is currently being reviewed by regulators in several countries, among them the United States, Japan and China.
The so-called on-body injector is a device about the size of a palm that allows the drug to be injected under the skin at the push of a button. The aim is to do away with the need for hospital stays for chemotherapy delivered as an infusion. The injection time, in both cases, comes to 13 minutes.
