Enhertu Approved on NHS England After Two-Year Delay — SkimNews
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- Enhertu is now prescribable on the NHS in England from Thursday for patients with HER2-low breast cancer, two years after NICE rejected it as not good value for money.
- The drug gives patients almost seven extra months of life on average, with some living up to three years longer, and will benefit about 1,000 women per year in England.
- NICE reversed its decision largely because a US trade deal raised the QALY cost-effectiveness threshold from £30,000 to £35,000, combined with a new quality-of-life measurement method introduced in late August.
- Daiichi Sankyo and AstraZeneca have not substantially lowered their prices since the initial rejection, and Health Secretary Yvette Cooper credited charities and campaigners for the eventual approval.
- Breast Cancer Now chief executive Claire Rowney warned that "we can't celebrate this momentous decision without remembering the devastating cost of this delay," noting many patients died while waiting.
- Scotland has provided Enhertu on the NHS since 2023, and it is available in 26 other European countries, while Wales is expected to follow England's guidance shortly.
Why it matters: Drug companies didn't drop their prices — NICE changed its math, raising the QALY threshold from £30,000 to £35,000 and adopting a new quality-of-life measure after a US trade deal increased NHS medicine spending by 25%. About 1,000 women annually now gain access to Enhertu in England, but the two-year delay cost lives, with Breast Cancer Now highlighting that many who could have benefited have already died.
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