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Life-Saving Cancer Drug Now NHS Approved
17 Sep
Summary
- Enhertu offers nearly seven extra months of life on average.
- NICE initially deemed the drug too expensive for NHS use.
- The treatment is for a specific type of HER2-low breast cancer.
Patients in England diagnosed with HER2-low breast cancer will now benefit from the life-extending drug Enhertu, now available on the NHS. This pivotal decision follows an earlier assessment by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) which, in 2024, concluded the treatment was not cost-effective. Enhertu has the potential to grant patients an average of almost seven additional months of life, with some experiencing up to three years of extended survival.
This drug has been accessible to women in Scotland since 2023 and is already in use across 26 other European nations. The renewed approval in England, effective from Thursday, means doctors can now prescribe Enhertu. Wales is anticipated to follow suit shortly, though guidance for Northern Ireland is still pending. Health Secretary Yvette Cooper lauded the decision, stating that Enhertu is "life-changing" and will finally allow NHS patients to benefit after persistent campaigning by charities and advocates.
The new policy is expected to impact approximately 1,000 women annually. While acknowledging the success of the long-fought campaign, Breast Cancer Now highlighted the tragic cost of the delay, with many patients having missed out on or died before gaining access. The charity's chief executive, Claire Rowney, expressed that while "we can't celebrate this momentous decision without remembering the devastating cost of this delay."
