Breast cancer drug denied to thousands ‘increases survival time by a third’
A DRUG being denied to thousands of women with incurable breast cancer could boost survival time by more than a third, research suggests.
Trials found that Enhertu slashed the chances of terminal breast cancer growing or spreading by 38 per cent compared to standard chemotherapy.
Campaigners said the new findings add to the sense of ‘betrayal and disbelief’ that they cannot get it on the NHS in England when it is available in Scotland.
It follows a decision by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in March to deny the ‘wonder drug’ on cost grounds using new criteria which does not class all terminal cancers as ‘severe’. Women with HER2-low breast cancer (which cannot be removed surgically or that has spread) or ultra-low
‘This is utterly unacceptable’
breast cancer lived without cancer growing for an average of 13.2 months on the drug, compared to just 8.1 months among those who had chemotherapy.
Survival rates after 12 months were 87 per cent compared to 81.1 per cent respectively, according to the study of almost 900 women.
The trial, presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology conference, revealed the equivalent of six in ten patients responded to treatment from Enhertu, twice as many as chemotherapy.
The findings build on previous studies that found the treatment improved overall survival rates by more than six months. Patients said they were being forced to spend their final months fighting for access to a drug available in 13 other European countries, as well as the US and Canada.
Known as trastuzumab deruxtecan, it is the first licensed targeted treatment for patients with HER2-low breast cancer.
While Enhertu has been licensed for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer in England, access for those with lower levels of the protein has been denied, despite results showing it is similarly effective. Around 1,000 women each year in England could benefit from the drug, which patients described as ‘the last roll of the dice’.
Dr Giuseppe Curigliano, a professor of medical oncology at the University of Milan and author of the latest findings, said the drug ‘could become the new standard of care’ for the disease.
He added: ‘Participants that received trastuzumab deruxtecan lived longer without their disease progressing or causing death,’ he said, adding that the trial showed for the first time the benefits in patients with HER2ultralow and those who had never had chemotherapy.
A petition by charity Breast Cancer Now has more than 260,000 signatures calling for it to be made available. Director of research Dr Simon Vincent said it was ‘utterly unacceptable’ that thousands were ‘being denied access’.
He added: ‘This promising study suggests even more people could potentially benefit from Enhertu.
‘Yet, despite this mounting clinical data emerging around the clear benefit Enhertu could bring patients, thousands of people with HER2-low secondary breast cancer are being denied access to Enhertu on the NHS in England, and this is utterly unacceptable.’
A spokesman for NICE said it was ‘extremely disappointed’ not to be able to recommend Enhertu for advanced HER2-low breast cancer on cost grounds.
He added: ‘A price making it a cost-effective use of NHS resources being offered by Daiichi Sankyo and AstraZeneca [Enhertu’s developers] could resolve this issue... That is the fastest and only guaranteed way of ensuring women get access to this treatment without further delay.’