NHS cancer patients will be the first in the world to benefit from chemotherapy delivered by drone as part of a new trial, chief executive Amanda Pritchard announced today. The drones, set to make their first flight in the coming weeks, will mean that the lifesaving treatment can be picked up and dropped off to patients on the same day.

Declaring the major trial on the NHS’s 74 birthday, NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard said the drone deliveries were just the latest “extraordinary” instalment in another year that has showcased innovation and cutting-edge technology. [1]

Figure 1. NHS Trials Medicine Delivery Via Drones

Figure 1 shows the trial was presented by Amanda Pritchard, NHS England’s chief executive, as part of the celebrations of the 74th anniversary of the health service’s creation by the postwar Labour government.

“Delivering chemo by drone is another extraordinary development for cancer patients and shows how the NHS will stop at nothing to ensure people get the treatment they need as promptly as possible – while also cutting costs and carbon emissions,” she said. 

Chemotherapy drugs are famously difficult to transport, as some doses have a very short self-life, and so the ability to transport them via drones could have a great impact on the lives of many cancer patients. [2]

'Quicker, fairer access to treatment'

"Delivering chemo by drone is another extraordinary development for cancer patients and shows how the NHS will stop at nothing to ensure people get the treatment they need as promptly as possible - while also cutting costs and carbon emissions.

"As the NHS turns 74 it is clear that the pace of change and improvement across the health service is only accelerating, as our fantastic staff seek to make the most of life-changing advances to improve patients' lives as we promised in the NHS Long Term Plan." [3]

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said: "I want England to become a world leader in cancer care and using the latest technology to deliver chemo by drone means patients will have quicker, fairer access to treatment no matter where they live.

"As the NHS turns 74, innovations like this will help improve patients' access to lifesaving care while ensuring the NHS is making the best use of the record funding we're investing to bust the Covid backlogs." [4]

References:

1. https://www.electronicsforu.com/news/nhs-trials-medicine-delivery-via-drones
2. https://eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2022/07/nhs-to-trial-drone-delivery-of-chemotherapy-drugs
3. https://news.sky.com/story/drones-to-deliver-chemotherapy-drugs-in-half-an-hour-in-nhs-trial-on-isle-of-wight-12645934
4. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-07-04/nhs-to-trial-drone-delivery-for-chemotherapy-drugs

Cite this article:

Thanusri swetha J (2022), NHS Trials Medicine Delivery Via Drones, Anatechmaz, pp.219