Patients with aggressive form of cancer welcome approval of new treatment on NHS

People with an aggressive form of cancer will be able to access a life-extending treatment after health officials gave it the green light for NHS use.

Patients and their relatives have welcomed the news that zanidatamab has been recommended for NHS use for patients with cholangiocarcinoma – also known as bile duct cancer.

Clinical trials suggest the treatment can almost triple life expectancy for patients compared with current treatment.

This type of cancer is often diagnosed late, when it can no longer be removed by surgery.

Fewer than one in three people diagnosed in England survive a year after diagnosis and until now, the treatment options were limited.

Huw Jones, from Llanuwchllyn in north Wales, called for the drug to be made available for widespread use before he died earlier this year.

Mr Jones, 33, was diagnosed with stage 4 cholangiocarcinoma in 2024 after experiencing a pain in his torso after training for a triathlon.

His diagnosis came the day before his pregnant partner’s 20-week scan for their first baby.

He started taking zanidatamab as part of a clinical trial in January 2025 – the month his son, Idris, was born.

His family believe that without zanidatamab, they would not have been able to spend a year together as a family-of-three.

After Mr Jones’ death, his family backed his campaign to get the drug approved for NHS use.

On the news of the Nice approval, Mr Jones’ father, Gareth Jones, said: “Although we all wish Huw was still with us, we are grateful for the way in which zanidatamab gave him precious time with his new son, Idris, and the rest of our family.

“It also gave him much-needed hope during treatment for cholangiocarcinoma.

“Too often patients with this cancer are presented with little or no options, so knowing that this treatment can now be accessed through the NHS is excellent news for people with HER2-positive cholangiocarcinoma in England and Wales.”

Mr Jones’ calls were echoed by fellow cholangiocarcinoma patient Gareth Honeybone, an NHS surgeon from Sheffield.

Mr Honeybone’s tumour was removed through surgery and he had a course of chemotherapy and was given the all-clear, but a new tumour was detected in August 2024.

After undergoing chemotherapy and immunotherapy, he started taking zanidatamab in January 2025, through a clinical trial.

Scans have shown that the tumour is no longer visible.

Mr Honeybone said: “I am pleased to hear that zanidatamab has been recommended for approval.

“I am proud that my success with the drug has contributed to more patients and families being able to experience the benefits I have.”

Draft guidance 

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) initially rejected the treatment in draft guidance.

But the NHS spending watchdog has approved the treatment for patients in final draft guidance.

The treatment, also known as Ziihera, is an antibody treatment for patients with a higher-than-normal level of a protein called HER2, which stimulates tumours to grow.

It works by activating the immune system to remove and kill the cancer cells and reduces the levels of HER2, which prevents the cancer from growing.

Clinical trial data suggest that patients treated with zanidatamab survived an average of 18.1 months compared with 6.2 months for those receiving current second-line treatment.

Nice has recommended the treatment for patients with HER2-positive advanced biliary tract cancer, who have already received at least one treatment.

Helen Knight, director of medicines evaluation at Nice, said: “I am pleased we have been able to recommend this effective new treatment option, the first HER2-targeted drug Nice has recommended for people with biliary tract cancer in England.

“Patients and clinical experts involved in the appraisal told us how this treatment would make a huge difference by extending people’s lives and improving their quality of life – something that was not always possible with chemotherapy.”

‘Positive difference’

Helen Morement, chief executive of the cholangiocarcinoma charity AMMF, said: “During Nice’s appraisal, we heard from patients and their families about the positive difference zanidatamab provided for them.

“We are therefore pleased that more people with advanced HER2-positive disease will be able to access this life-extending treatment through the NHS.”

Nice estimates that around 65 patients a year will benefit from the treatment, which is given by an intravenous drip once every two weeks.

It said that the manufacturer, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, has made zanidatamab available to the NHS with a discount through a commercial arrangement.