Pfizer’s Talzenna therapy accepted for use within NHS Scotland

Scottish Medicines Consortium approves new option for mCRPC patients

Pfizer Ltd has announced that the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) has accepted Talzenna (talazoparib) in combination with enzalutamide for the treatment of adult patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) in whom chemotherapy is not clinically indicated.

Oliver Kemp, CEO of Prostate Cancer Research, said: “We are delighted by the SMC’s positive decision to approve the combination of talazoparib and enzalutamide for use within NHS Scotland in men with mCRPC for whom chemotherapy is not clinically indicated. This approval marks an important step forward in giving patients more options – especially those who cannot or do not want to undergo chemotherapy.”

Talazoparib is a poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitor administered once daily as an oral treatment, in combination with enzalutamide. It is used to treat men with prostate cancer that no longer responds to hormone therapy or surgical treatment to lower testosterone.

Its therapeutic effects are achieved through two primary mechanisms. First, talazoparib inhibits the PARP enzyme, disrupting the repair of DNA damage in cancer cells. Second, it prevents the PARP enzyme from detaching from the damaged DNA, further impeding DNA repair processes. These disruptions lead to the inability of cancer cells to survive, ultimately resulting in their death.

Dr Robert Jones, Professor of Clinical Cancer Research, University of Glasgow, said: “Once patients reach this incurable stage of their cancer, new approaches are needed to help postpone treatment resistance and delay worsening of their disease. The advice from the SMC is very welcome as it offers patients and their healthcare teams a much-needed additional therapeutic option.”

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in Scotland with an average of 3,983 new cases each year (2017-2019). It is also the second most common cause of death from cancer in Scottish men after lung cancer. Approximately 10%-20% of prostate cancer patients develop mCRPC within five years of diagnosis and the five-year survival rate for men with metastatic prostate cancer is just 49%.

Colm Doody, Oncology Medical Director, Pfizer UK, said: “As an organisation focused on delivering therapies for some of the world’s most common cancers, we are really pleased that the SMC has accepted talazoparib for use within NHS Scotland. Considering the number of people diagnosed with prostate cancer, it is essential that patients continue to gain timely access to new treatments to help manage the disease, including those in the later stages of the condition.”