Sophie Blake and others fought for two years to access the drug (Image: Sophie Blake)
Women with incurable breast cancer have been given “hope for more precious time” after the NHS struck a deal for a life-extending drug. Campaigners have fought alongside charity Breast Cancer Now for access since the drug, Enhertu, was rejected on cost grounds in 2024. Terminally ill mum Sophie Blake, 53, said the previous decision had made women feel like “our lives weren’t ‘cost effective’”.
She added: “Today is a day I wasn’t sure I’d live to see, we’ve finally won our Enhertu battle. Enhertu was the first licensed targeted treatment for HER2-low breast cancer, so the decision not to make it available on the NHS was absolutely devastating. But knowing that Enhertu could be my next line of treatment, gives me and so many others living with HER2-low metastatic breast cancer, enormous hope for more precious time. And ultimately that’s all any of us want, more time making memories with the people we love.”
Campaigners protested in Parliament Square in 2024 (Image: Getty)
The drug is used to treat secondary breast cancer that has spread around the body. Delivered via an intravenous infusion, it targets a protein called HER2 which helps tumour cells grow quickly.
Enhertu was already available on the NHS for women with high levels, known as HER2-positive. Access is now being extended to those who are considered HER2-low. The drug is expected to benefit around 1,000 women every year in England. Clinical trials have shown it can extend patients’ lives by and average of six months.
Sophie was among campaigners who stood topless in a Parliament Square protest two years ago and gathered more than 300,000 signatures on a petition. She said the work had been “exhausting for so many women living with stage 4 cancer, who were campaigning while also dealing with treatment, side effects and the reality of their own diseases”.
Sophie added: “We should have been making memories with our loved ones, not spending our precious time fighting for access to a treatment already available to so many.
“I am crushed that it took so long. I have heartbreakingly lost far too many incredible friends and campaigners along the way, who were denied the opportunity to have Enhertu and should have been here to celebrate this day. So this is a truly bittersweet victory, and they are all in my thoughts.”
Paula Van Santen, 51, was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in July 2022. The mother-of-three, from Banbury, said the announcement has given her a “new sense of hope”. She added: “After years of waiting and hoping, there aren’t enough words to express how thrilled I am to see Enhertu finally approved for use on the NHS.
“It gives me the chance of seeing my daughter graduate from university, become a grandparent for the first time and simply be a mum to my children for longer as they continue to grow.
“These are life’s simple privileges that many of us take for granted, but which mean everything to me and thousands of others living with incurable metastatic breast cancer.”
Kathryn Hulland, 48, from Devon, was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in 2022 and said the decision would give her more time with her nine-year-old daughter Grace.
She added: “I may still be here to support my nine-year-old daughter into high school. When I was first diagnosed, I was told I’d be lucky to see 12 months.
Sophie paid tribute to friends who died before seeing this victory (Image: Getty)
“Three years later I know how important every extra month is. It’s another chance at more time with my daughter, another chance to make memories together, another month to be her mum and see her grow. That’s the hope this life-extending treatment now brings, it means everything.”
The approval comes after the UK agreed to increase NHS spending on new medicines following a deal with President Trump’s administration.
Claire Rowney, chief executive of Breast Cancer Now, said the decision marked “a momentous day for thousands of people”
She added: “This milestone victory belongs to every person who refused to accept that access to a life-extending treatment was out of reach. For people in England, the wait for Enhertu is finally over. Since 2024 when it was first rejected for use, thousands of people have missed out on access to Enhertu and tragically many have died. We remember with deep gratitude the women who stood alongside us and fought for this very moment.”
Helen Knight, director of medicines evaluation at the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, said: “We know this decision comes too late for many families, and our thoughts are with them today. Our role is important in ensuring NHS spending on new medicines reflects the benefits they deliver while protecting valuable health resources for other essential patient services.”
