Talazoparib gets the green light from NICE for metastatic prostate cancer
NICE has recommended talazoparib (Talzenna), taken alongside enzalutamide, for adults with untreated hormone-relapsed metastatic prostate cancer.
Approximately 2,400 people with metastatic prostate cancer will now have access to the PARP inhibitor talazoparib, in combination with the androgen receptor inhibitor enzalutamide, following NICE’s approval of the drug combination. This approval marks an important step in patient-centered care, as the once-daily pill can be taken at home.
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The combination therapy demonstrated substantial clinical benefits in trial data, with patients receiving talazoparib plus enzalutamide experiencing extended survival and delayed disease progression. Overall survival reached 45.8 months versus 37 months for the single-agent treatment – representing an improvement of nearly 9 months. Additionally, progression-free survival showed even more dramatic gains, extending to 33.1 months compared with 19.5 months on enzalutamide alone – a benefit of more than 13 months.
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.
“For these men, having talazoparib approved is a real lifeline, and research shows that men who receive talazoparib alongside enzalutamide get almost 9 months more of life with their loved ones than men just on enzalutamide,” explained Amy Rylance, assistant director of Health Improvement at Prostate Cancer UK.
This recommendation continues NICE’s recent momentum in expanding prostate cancer treatment access, following approvals for darolutamide and abiraterone for hormone-sensitive metastatic disease.