Home / Health / Woman, 32, Dies as Family Fights for Life-Extending Drug
Woman, 32, Dies as Family Fights for Life-Extending Drug
9 Sep
Summary
- A 32-year-old woman died from breast cancer that spread to her bones and liver.
- Her family advocates for Enhertu, a drug available elsewhere but not on the NHS in England.
- Discussions have resumed between NICE, the manufacturer, and NHS England regarding Enhertu's availability.
A family is advocating for greater NHS access to a vital life-extending cancer treatment after the recent death of 32-year-old Fionnuala Quinlan-Bennett. Fionnuala passed away in June 2026 after her breast cancer spread to her bones and liver.
Her family highlighted Enhertu, a drug available in Scotland and other nations, as a treatment that could have offered her more time. Fionnuala's husband expressed her anguish over knowing a treatment was accessible elsewhere but not to her.
Cancer charity Breast Cancer Now stated that making Enhertu available could assist approximately 1,000 women in England. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) confirmed that discussions with the manufacturer and NHS England have been reinstated.
Nice previously concluded in 2024 that Enhertu was not cost-effective at the offered price. However, following a US-UK trade deal announced in December 2025, Nice is now applying a higher threshold for cost-effectiveness, leading to the resumption of commercial agreement discussions aimed at securing Enhertu's availability.
