England Clears Enhertu for 1,000 NHS Breast Cancer Patients a Year After NICE Reversal
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Sep 16
England Clears Enhertu for 1,000 NHS Breast Cancer Patients a Year After NICE Reversal
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Sep 16
Summary
From Thursday, doctors in England can prescribe Enhertu on the NHS for HER2-low incurable breast cancer, opening access to about 1,000 women a year after a two-year wait.
Nearly seven extra months of life on average helped justify the switch, after NICE raised its upper QALY threshold to £35,000 from £30,000 and updated how it measures quality of life.
The BBC said Daiichi Sankyo and AstraZeneca did not substantially cut the drug's price; the reversal instead followed a UK-US trade deal under which Britain agreed to spend 25% more on medicines.
Scotland has offered Enhertu since 2023 and Wales is expected to follow, but campaigners said thousands in England missed access during the delay and many died, including patient advocate Jeannie Ambrose in January.
NICE, ministers and charities welcomed the approval but said the case exposed a system that leaves metastatic cancer patients spending precious time fighting for treatments.