A life-extending breast cancer drug is now available on the NHS in England for people with a specific type of incurable breast cancer, following years of campaigning by patients and charities.

Enhertu (trastuzumab deruxtecan) is a targeted treatment for people with HER2-low metastatic breast cancer. Clinical evidence has shown that the drug can extend survival and delay the progression of the disease compared with chemotherapy. NICE previously decided in 2024 that Enhertu was not a cost-effective use of NHS resources.

From September 2026, doctors in England can prescribe Enhertu to eligible patients. The decision is expected to benefit around 1,000 women each year. The drug has already been available on the NHS in Scotland since 2023, while access is also available in several other European countries.

Patient groups have played an important role in campaigning for wider access. Breast Cancer Now said that many people with metastatic breast cancer had missed out on the treatment while access was being debated.

The change also highlights the difficult decisions involved in deciding which new treatments the NHS can fund. NICE assesses medicines by considering both their clinical benefits and their cost in relation to the health benefits they provide.

For people living with incurable breast cancer, access to new treatments can mean more time with family and friends. Patient experiences and advocacy have also helped bring attention to the impact that decisions about treatment access can have on people’s lives.

Read the article: New hope for breast cancer patients as life-extending drug now on NHS in England – BBC News

A commonly prescribed diabetes medication could potentially help slow some of the health problems associated with ageing. Researchers are investigating whether metformin, a drug used to treat type 2 diabetes, could delay several age-related conditions.

The Targeting Aging with Metformin (TAME) trial is designed to investigate whether the drug can delay conditions such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, cognitive impairment and dementia. The trial aims to include around 3,000 adults aged 65–79 who do not have diabetes.

Researchers became interested in metformin after previous studies suggested that people taking the drug may have lower rates of some age-related diseases. However, these findings do not prove that metformin slows ageing.

The research is focused on healthspan – the amount of time people can live in good health – rather than simply extending lifespan. If metformin is shown to delay several age-related conditions, it could change how researchers approach ageing and disease prevention.

For now, metformin remains a treatment for conditions such as type 2 diabetes, rather than an established anti-ageing medication. Further research is needed to determine whether it can provide these benefits in people without diabetes.

Read the full article: Can a diabetes pill slow aging? 2 experts weigh in on the TAME trial – Medical News Today

A personalised cancer vaccine has shown promising results in a Phase 3 clinical trial, helping to prevent melanoma from returning in patients at high risk of their cancer coming back.

The vaccine, called Intismeran, was developed by Moderna and Merck (known as MSD in Europe) and was given alongside the immunotherapy drug Keytruda to more than 1,000 patients with high-risk stage 2, 3 or 4 melanoma following surgery. Early results showed that the combination significantly increased the length of time patients remained cancer free compared with Keytruda alone.

Intismeran uses mRNA technology, also used in some COVID-19 vaccines, to create a treatment personalised to each patient’s cancer. Scientists analyse genetic mutations in a sample of the patient’s tumour and use this information to develop a vaccine designed to teach their immune system to recognise and attack remaining cancer cells.

Experts have described the findings as an important step forward for personalised cancer treatment, although the full Phase 3 results are yet to be released and independently reviewed. Researchers are also studying similar personalised vaccines in other cancers, including lung, bladder and kidney cancer.

Read more: Vaccine breakthrough stops cancer returning in trial – BBC News

An experimental treatment for chronic hepatitis B has shown encouraging results in two large phase 3 clinical trials, with around one in five participants achieving a functional cure after completing a finite course of treatment. The studies involved more than 1,800 adults across 29 countries and evaluated bepirovirsen, a therapy designed to help the immune system regain control of the virus rather than simply suppressing it.

Currently, most people with chronic hepatitis B require lifelong antiviral medication, as existing treatments rarely eliminate the virus completely. In the trial, around 20% of participants receiving bepirovirsen achieved a sustained functional cure, compared with none of those receiving a placebo. Response rates were even higher, at around 26%, among participants with lower levels of the virus at the start of the study.

While further research is needed to improve response rates and assess long term outcomes, the findings represent an important step towards new treatment options for the more than 250 million people worldwide living with chronic hepatitis B.

Learn more: Hepatitis B: Bepirovirsen helps 1 in 5 achieve functional cure

A new analysis of NHS data has found a worrying increase in type 2 diabetes among young adults in England, particularly women in their 20s. Researchers at Imperial College London analysed data from the English National Diabetes Audit between 2011 and 2024 and found that, while diagnoses have fallen slightly among older adults, rates have risen rapidly in people under 40. Around 12,000 people under the age of 30 are now living with type 2 diabetes, with women accounting for a growing proportion of these younger cases.

Researchers believe the trend is closely linked to rising obesity levels, which have increased significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic. Between 2019 and 2025, new obesity cases rose by 16% among people aged 20–29 and by almost 20% in those aged 30–39.

Early-onset type 2 diabetes is associated with a greater risk of serious complications, including heart attacks, strokes and long-term organ damage, making early diagnosis and effective weight management especially important. The findings also suggest the increase is now being seen across a broader range of the population, highlighting the need for stronger prevention strategies, improved follow-up care for those at higher risk, and wider access to support for maintaining a healthy weight.

Read the article: More women in their 20s are getting type 2 diabetes – BBC News

A new Ebola vaccine developed by researchers at the University of Oxford has entered its first human clinical trial just eight weeks after development began, making it the first of four vaccine candidates to reach this stage in response to the current outbreak.

The vaccine targets the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which has caused more than 1,700 confirmed cases and over 600 deaths in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Around 50 healthy volunteers in the UK will take part in the Phase 1 trial to assess the vaccine’s safety and ability to trigger an immune response, while preparations are also underway for future studies in Africa.

The vaccine uses the same viral vector technology as the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, allowing researchers to rapidly adapt an existing platform without compromising on safety testing. If successful, the study could pave the way for larger clinical trials and provide an important new tool to help control the current outbreak and improve preparedness for future Ebola epidemics.

Read the article: UK starts first vaccine trial, eight weeks into Ebola emergency – BBC News