New hope for breast cancer patients as life-extending drug now on NHS in England

Patients in England with a specific type of incurable breast cancer can now access a life-extending drug on the NHS, two years after it was deemed too expensive by a health body.

Enhertu can give patients almost seven extra months to live on average - with some living up to three years longer.

Women in Scotland have had access to the drug on the NHS since 2023, and it is available in 26 other European countries.

Charities and patients have campaigned for it to be more widely available since 2024, when the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) said Enhertu was not good value for money.

From Thursday, doctors in England are now able to prescribe it, with Wales expected to follow shortly but the guidance doesn't automatically apply to Northern Ireland.

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."

This decision will affect about 1,000 women a year with a specific type of breast cancer, HER2-low.