Medicine for rare form of breast cancer approved for use on the NHS in Scotland

Make 2nds Count is pleased to hear from the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) that Talazoparib (Talzenna) has been approved to treat adults with BRCA1 or 2 mutated HER2-negative secondary breast cancer.

The announcement is welcome news for many people in Scotland and their families as this is the first ever BRCA-targeted treatment for those living with locally advanced or secondary breast cancer. 

Emma Hall, Executive Director of Make 2nds Count says: "It is great news to hear that Talazoparib will now be made available on the NHS for people in Scotland who need it.  

Thanks to NICE recommendations earlier this year, this medicine will give people living with BRCA locally advanced or secondary breast cancer the hope of more time, enabling them to make more precious memories with family and friends and doing those things that mean most to them."

Talazoparib can be taken at home by patients in the form of a daily pill instead of chemotherapy, which means less time spent travelling to and being in hospital. This treatment could help people live “as normal a life as possible for as long as possible” according to physicians.