AstraZeneca cancer drug Enhertu gets NHS clearance

On 17 September 2026, health agency NICE published final draft guidance recommending routine NHS funding in England for Enhertu, a breast cancer drug developed by AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo. The decision covers patients with HER2-low advanced breast cancer and is expected to benefit around 1,000 eligible patients annually.

Enhertu carries a UK list price of 1,455 GBP per 100 mg vial. Privately funded treatment in the UK has ranged from 7,500 GBP to 13,000 GBP per three-week cycle. The clearance came alongside a raised standard cost-effectiveness spending threshold by NICE of 35,000 GBP per patient, up from the previous 30,000 GBP limit.

Trial results from the DESTINY-Breast04 study demonstrated median progression-free survival of 9.9 months for Enhertu, compared with 5.1 months for standard chemotherapy. Median overall survival reached 23.4 months on the therapy versus 16.8 months with chemotherapy.

Enhertu was already available in 27 European countries before securing routine use in England. Since 2018, NICE has evaluated 26 breast cancer treatments.