Overview

• Breast Cancer Now’s July report criticizes NICE’s 2022 severity modifier and ‘opportunity-cost neutral’ spending cap for deeming advanced breast cancer drugs not cost-effective.
• Price negotiations with AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo broke down in November, leaving the HER2-targeted therapy Enhertu unavailable to patients in England and Wales.
• The charity is urging Health Secretary Wes Streeting to scrap spending restraints and lower the threshold for what qualifies as a very severe condition so more high-need treatments qualify.
• NICE chief executive Dr Samantha Roberts says the severity weighting is working as intended and has increased approvals for other medicines despite the inability to recommend Enhertu.
• A Department of Health spokesperson highlights the upcoming 10-year NHS plan to improve cancer care and reaffirms openness to introducing medicines at fair and reasonable prices.