A LIFE extending drug will be offered to patients in England with a specific type of breastcancer two years after facing rejection by the a health body.
Enhertu (trastuzumab deruxtecan), a medication which gives patients just under seven extra months of life on average, was previously deemed too expensive by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and patients were denied access to it.
Following the U-turn, from Thursday doctors in England will be able to prescribe the drug on the NHS, which is already available to patients in Scotland and over 26 other European countries.
Around 1,000 women each year are expected to benefit from the treatment, which is used for patients with HER2-low advanced breast cancer that cannot be removed by surgery or has spread to other parts of the body.
Trastuzumab deruxtecan is a targeted treatment which combines an antibody with a chemotherapy drug. The antibody identifies cancer cells with HER2 proteins and delivers chemotherapy directly to them, helping to limit damage to healthy cells.
Clinical trial data showed patients receiving Enhertu lived for an average of 23.4 months, compared with 16.8 months for those receiving standard chemotherapy – a total average improvement of 6.6 months. The treatment is given through an intravenous infusion once every three weeks.
NICE initially rejected the drug for this group of patients in 2024 after concluding that its cost was too high in relation to the clinical benefits it provided.
However, a new commercial agreement between the NHS and the drug’s manufacturers, AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo, alongside changes to the way NICE assesses the cost-effectiveness of medicines, has enabled the health body to reverse its decision.
The decision follows sustained calls from patients and breast cancer charities for England to provide access to the treatment after it became available through the NHS in Scotland in December 2023.
Campaigners have also highlighted the patients who died during the two-year period in which the treatment was unavailable through the NHS in England.
HER2 is a protein involved in the growth of cells. While some breast cancers have high levels of the protein and are classified as HER2-positive, HER2-low cancers contain smaller amounts.
Enhertu is the first licensed targeted treatment specifically for patients with HER2-low metastatic or unresectable breast cancer.
Dr Anne Rigg, Consultant Medical Oncologist at NICE and NHS England’s National Specialty Adviser for Chemotherapy, described the decision as “hugely positive news” for patients, providing them with another treatment option and the opportunity for more time with their loved ones.
“We know how important this will be for women and families affected, and we have shared their determination to find a way to make Enhertu available to everyone who could benefit, so we’re very pleased that a commercial solution has now been agreed with the drug companies which means women can access it from today,” she said.
Health Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “Enhertu can be life-changing, and this recommendation means NHS patients will finally be able to benefit from it.
“It is a tribute to the campaigners and charities who never stopped pressing for this,” she added.
The treatment will be available to eligible NHS patients in England from Thursday, while the manufacturers are also seeking access for patients in Wales and Northern Ireland.
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