NHS Approves Life-Extending Breast Cancer Drug After Long Campaign

Health officials have approved a life-extending drug for patients in England who have a specific form of incurable breast cancer. The drug, which is called Enhertu, can help patients live for several extra months. For some people, it might even add three years to their lives.

This decision has brought great relief to about 1,000 women each year who have HER2-low breast cancer. A health body called NICE previously rejected the drug in 2024 because they decided it was too expensive. However, some changes in how the government values medicines have now made the drug available on the NHS. Doctors in England and Northern Ireland can prescribe it now, and Wales will likely follow soon. Patients in Scotland have already had access to this treatment since 2023.

Many campaigners have worked hard to get this approval. Claire Rowney, the head of the charity Breast Cancer Now, said that while their hard work has paid off, many patients have sadly died during the long delay. She said, "Today we can finally say we did it."

Kate Wills, a 51-year-old mother who has this serious disease, cried when she heard the news. She has been hoping to live long enough to see her youngest child finish school. Now, she has dared to dream that she might see her children fall in love and get married. However, she also feels sad for her friends who died before they could get the medicine.

The NHS can now pay more for these treatments because of a recent trade agreement. The government has increased the maximum amount of money they will pay to give a patient another year of good life. Activists hope this change will help more patients get necessary medicines quickly in the future.