Life-extending daily pill offers hope for people who cannot
take standard treatment
Thousands of people living with advanced prostate cancer will
have access to a life-extending new treatment that can be taken
at home from today (Friday, 23 January).
NICE has recommended talazoparib (also known
as Talzenna, made by Pfizer), taken alongside enzalutamide,
for adults with prostate cancer that has spread.
The treatment is recommended for people where chemotherapy is not
suitable and who cannot tolerate or take abiraterone plus
prednisolone, one of the current standard
treatments.
The recommendation marks an important step forward in
giving people more treatment options – especially those who
cannot undergo chemotherapy. The once-daily pill can be taken at
home so also offers greater convenience and flexibility for
patients while reducing pressure on NHS services.
Talazoparib blocks an enzyme that repairs damaged DNA in
certain cancer cells. Without this repair mechanism, the cancer
cells die.
Around 2,400 people in England are eligible for the drug.
Clinical trials found that people
taking talazoparib with enzalutamide lived
significantly longer and had more time before their cancer got
worse. Overall survival was 45.8 months compared with 37 months
for those on enzalutamide alone – an increase of nearly
nine months. The time people live without their cancer
getting worse also increased: 33.1 months compared with 19.5
months – an increase of over a year.
Helen Knight, Director of Medicines Evaluation at NICE,
said:
"We are continuing to focus on what matters most to people by
recommending this effective treatment that can make a huge
difference to the lives of people with advanced prostate
cancer.
"Talazoparib plus enzalutamide can be taken at home, so
provides a convenient and flexible treatment option for people
who can't have chemotherapy and are not able to take other
medicines so have limited treatment options.”
This is the third new treatment for metastatic prostate cancer
recommended by NICE in recent months, following darolutamide and abiraterone for
prostate cancer that has spread but still relies on male hormones
(androgens), making it treatable with hormone therapy to lower
testosterone.
Amy Rylance, Assistant Director of Health Improvement at
Prostate Cancer UK, said:
"When hormone therapy stops working for a man with advanced
prostate cancer, who is unable to have chemotherapy, it can be
hugely distressing. Their treatment options become more limited,
and they face a lot of uncertainty. That's why the fact
this treatment is now approved is so exciting.
"For these men, having talazoparib approved is a real
lifeline, and research shows that men who
receive talazoparib alongside enzalutamide get almost
nine months more of life with their loved ones than men just on
enzalutamide. We know that for men with some genetic variations,
like BRCA and HRR, the treatment can be even more effective.
Prostate Cancer UK worked with NICE to make this treatment
available, and I'm so pleased men will now be able to access it
and take it in the comfort of their own homes."
A confidential commercial arrangement is in place to
provide talazoparib to the NHS at a discounted
price.
Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in the UK. In
2019–2020, nearly 46,000 new cases were diagnosed in
England and Wales, with 13% being where it has spread
(metastatic) at diagnosis. Around 12,000 deaths each year
are attributed to prostate cancer.
The treatment is available in the NHS from today.
Read the full final draft guidance on talazoparib with enzalutamide
for untreated hormone-relapsed metastatic prostate
cancer.
