London: Patients in England with a specific type of advanced breast cancer will gain access to the life-extending drug Enhertu on the NHS after an earlier decision to reject its wider use was reversed.
The treatment, also known as trastuzumab deruxtecan, can extend survival by nearly seven months on average compared with chemotherapy, according to clinical trial findings.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) said Enhertu will be available from Thursday to around 1,000 women with HER2-low advanced breast cancer that cannot be removed through surgery or has spread to other parts of the body.
Enhertu is the first licensed targeted treatment for HER2-low breast cancer in this setting. The drug is manufactured by Daiichi Sankyo and AstraZeneca and has already been available in Scotland for more than two years.
NICE rejected the treatment for widespread NHS use in England in 2024, saying it was not cost-effective. The decision was later reversed after a commercial agreement was reached following changes to NICE’s methods as part of a UK-US pricing arrangement.
Clinical trials found that women receiving Enhertu survived for about two years on average, compared with 17.5 months among those given chemotherapy.
Breast Cancer Now welcomed the decision, with chief executive Claire Rowney describing it as a significant development that could give patients more time with their families. Rowney added that the earlier rejection had meant many patients missed out on access to the treatment and called for it to be made available through the NHS in Wales and Northern Ireland.
The decision has also been welcomed by patients living with metastatic breast cancer. Paula Van Santen, 51, from Oxfordshire, who was diagnosed in 2022, stated that the approval had given her renewed hope of spending more time with her three children.
Kathryn Hulland, 48, from Devon, who was diagnosed four years ago, noted that the treatment could give her more time with her nine-year-old daughter.
The NHS decision gives eligible patients in England access to a targeted treatment that clinical trials have linked to longer survival than chemotherapy. The move also renews calls for wider access to Enhertu across other parts of the UK.
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