STAT+: England to cover AstraZeneca breast cancer drug, a result of U.K.-U.S. drug pricing deal
A breast cancer drug from AstraZeneca will now be available in England after a pricing deal was reached, in part a result of the U.S.-U.K. pharma pact.
English health authorities have agreed to provide the breast cancer drug Enhertu from AstraZeneca through the National Health Service (NHS), resolving a long-standing dispute that raised questions about the pharmaceutical company's commitment to the U.K. The decision, which will extend the drug to an estimated 1,000 people in England, is partly a result of a U.S.-U.K. drug pricing agreement reached last year.
Under the pact, a U.K. health agency raised the thresholds for what would be considered cost-effective for drugs on the NHS, allowing women with metastatic breast cancer and low levels of the HER2 protein to be eligible for Enhertu, a type of next-generation chemotherapy known as an antibody-drug conjugate. AstraZeneca confirmed that Scotland has covered the drug since 2023 and that it has been paid for in 26 other European countries.
Written by urgent.news from STAT News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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