Thousands of women in England with advanced HER2-low breast cancer will be able to receive Enhertu on the NHS after the treatment was approved following years of campaigning.
The drug, also known as trastuzumab deruxtecan, can extend life by up to three years and will be offered to about 1,000 women from today. It is given by infusion.
The decision reverses an earlier ruling by drug chiefs that Enhertu did not represent sufficient value for money. The treatment has been available in Scotland since 2023, as well as in 26 European countries.
A recent trade deal with the US affecting the UK’s medicines budget, together with changes to the way value for money is assessed, are said to have contributed to the change in position.
Breast Cancer Now described the decision as a significant achievement, but said it was impossible to overlook the delay and the women who died while waiting for access to the drug.
Claire Rowney, the charity’s chief executive, said: “Today we can finally say we did it.”
She added: “We can’t celebrate this momentous decision without remembering the devastating cost of this delay.”
Enhertu approved for NHS patients
Enhertu targets HER2-low breast cancer, in which tumour cells contain smaller amounts of the HER2 protein. The drug is also used to treat HER2-positive breast cancer, a fast-growing form in which cancer cells have a very high amount of the protein, although the current NHS approval applies only to the HER2-low form.
Research presented last year at the American Society of Clinical Oncology conference in Chicago found Enhertu to be highly effective and said it should become the first treatment offered to patients whose cancer had spread.
The medicine costs about £10,000 per patient per month in the United States, although the NHS is able to negotiate lower prices for medicines.
Health Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “Enhertu can be life-changing, and this recommendation means NHS patients will finally be able to benefit from it.”
She added: “It is a tribute to the campaigners and charities who never stopped pressing for this.”
Helen Knight, director of medicines evaluation at NICE, said she was pleased the treatment could now be made available on the NHS, while acknowledging that the decision “comes too late for many families”.
“Our role is important in ensuring NHS spending on new medicines reflects the benefits they deliver while protecting valuable health resources for other essential patient services,” she said.
