Enhertu Approved for NHS England Breast Cancer Patients — SkimNews
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- NICE reversed its 2024 rejection of Enhertu, making the drug available on NHS England from Thursday to roughly 1,000 women a year with HER2-low breast cancer.
- Enhertu extends life by an average of nearly seven months, with some patients living up to three years longer, and has already been available in Scotland since 2023 and 26 other European countries.
- NICE reversed not because Daiichi Sankyo and AstraZeneca lowered prices — the BBC understands they did not — but because a UK-US trade deal committed Britain to spend 25% more on medicines, raising the cost-effectiveness threshold from £30,000 to £35,000 per QALY.
- Wales is expected to follow England's guidance shortly, though the ruling does not automatically apply to Northern Ireland.
- Breast Cancer Now chief Claire Rowney said campaigners' "persistence paid off" but flagged the devastating cost of delay, citing Jeannie Ambrose, who publicly campaigned for access and died in January at 53.
- Health Secretary Yvette Cooper credited campaigners and charities for the reversal, while NICE's Helen Knight acknowledged the decision "comes too late for many families."
Why it matters: About 1,000 women a year with HER2-low breast cancer in England gain access to a drug that adds nearly seven months of life on average. The reversal wasn't driven by manufacturer price cuts but by a UK-US trade deal that raised the NHS cost-effectiveness threshold, unlocking a treatment already available in Scotland and 26 European countries.
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