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Enhertu Approved for NHS Use in England After Cost Review
Enhertu is a medicine for some people with advanced breast cancer.
It is designed to target cancer cells with low levels of a protein called HER2.
It is for cancers that cannot be removed by surgery or have spread to other parts of the body.
About 1,000 women in England are expected to be eligible.
In trials, people taking Enhertu lived for about two years on average.
People receiving chemotherapy lived for about 17.5 months on average.
This does not mean every patient will live for exactly that long.
NICE first said the medicine was too expensive for widespread NHS use, but a later agreement changed that decision.
Patients and charities say the treatment could provide more time with their families.
Enhertu is a targeted treatment for HER2-low breast cancer that cannot be removed surgically or has spread.
Around 1,000 eligible women in England can receive the treatment through the NHS.
Clinical trials found average survival of about two years with Enhertu, compared with 17.5 months with chemotherapy.
NICE rejected widespread NHS use in England in 2024, saying the drug was not cost effective.
Access was approved after a commercial agreement, while campaigners are calling for availability in Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Who
- Around 1,000 eligible women in England with HER2-low advanced breast cancer, alongside the NHS, NICE, drug manufacturers and breast cancer campaigners.
- What
- Enhertu, also called trastuzumab deruxtecan, has been approved for eligible NHS patients in England after an earlier rejection.
- Where
- England; the treatment has already been available in Scotland for more than two years.
- When
- The NHS availability was announced in September 2026; NICE initially rejected widespread use in 2024.
- Why
- A commercial agreement changed the previous cost-effectiveness decision, while clinical trials showed longer average survival than chemotherapy.
Access and Patient Benefit
Cost and Coverage Concerns
NHS availability
Access and Patient Benefit
Breast Cancer Now and patients welcomed access, saying Enhertu could provide valuable extra time with loved ones.
Cost and Coverage Concerns
NICE initially concluded that widespread NHS use was not cost effective.
Geographic coverage
Access and Patient Benefit
Campaigners want the treatment extended to patients in Wales and Northern Ireland.
Cost and Coverage Concerns
The announcement covers eligible patients in England, while the articles do not report equivalent new access in Wales or Northern Ireland.
Key facts
- Treatment
- Enhertu, also known as trastuzumab deruxtecan
- Cancer type
- HER2-low breast cancer
- Eligible condition
- Advanced cancer that is inoperable or has spread to other parts of the body
- England eligibility
- Around 1,000 women
- Trial survival with Enhertu
- About two years on average
- Trial survival with chemotherapy
- 17.5 months on average
- Previous NICE decision
- Rejected for widespread NHS use in 2024 as not cost effective
- Current access
- Available through the NHS in England following a commercial agreement
Quotes
Paula Van Santen
A woman diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in July 2022
“It gives me the chance of seeing my daughter graduate from university, become a grandparent for the first time and simply be a mum to my children for longer as they continue to grow.”
easterneye.biz
“the opportunity to gain precious extra time with loved ones; more ordinary days that become extraordinary because they were there”
easterneye.biz
Sources
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