AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo's Enhertu has finally secured a positive recommendation from NICE, the cost-effectiveness watchdog for England and Wales, for use in HER2-low advanced breast cancer. The decision reverses a 2024 rebuff, when the agency had initially declined to back the drug on value grounds.
The antibody drug conjugate targets a specific patient population whose tumors show low levels of HER2 expression, a group that historically had limited targeted treatment options. NICE's change of heart came after a fresh assessment determined that the therapy meets the NHS's cost-effectiveness threshold, clearing the way for routine funding.
This marks a significant win for the drugmakers, who have been pushing to expand Enhertu's reach beyond its earlier approvals in HER2-positive cancers. The approval underscores the growing role of antibody drug conjugates in precision oncology, though the source does not detail specific clinical or financial figures behind the decision.