The family of Fionnuala Quinlan-Bennett, a 32-year-old woman from Crawley in West Sussex who died from breast cancer in June after the disease spread to her bones and liver, is calling for the life-extending drug Enhertu to be made available on the NHS in England, according to BBC coverage.
The Impact of Drug Access Delays on Patients
According to her husband, Nathan Bennett, Fionnuala found it intensely painful to know that a viable treatment existed elsewhere that she could not access. As reported by the BBC, Fionnuala stated before her passing, “It’s painful knowing that this drug is available and out there, but not available to me.” Enhertu combines a targeted monoclonal antibody therapy with the chemotherapy drug deruxtecan, according to Macmillan Cancer Support data cited in the coverage. While the medication is accessible in Scotland and several other countries, patients in England have faced strict funding barriers, leaving families to advocate for policy shifts.
NICE Guidelines and Recent Renegotiations
According to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the agency concluded in 2024 that Enhertu was not cost-effective at the price originally offered by the manufacturer. However, following a US-UK trade deal announced in December 2025, NICE confirmed that it is now applying a new, higher threshold for cost-effectiveness decisions. In light of these changed circumstances, discussions between NICE, the company, and NHS England have resumed with the aim of reaching a commercial agreement.
Advocacy and the Urgency for Reform
Cancer charity Breast Cancer Now estimates that making Enhertu available could help approximately 1,000 women in England. Holly Heath, head of policy and evidence at Breast Cancer Now, emphasized the pressing need for action in statements provided to the BBC, noting that patients do not have time to wait and calling for a sense of urgency, pace, and a finalized deal so that other families do not face similar losses.
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