Novocure Presents Phase 2 Pilot INNOVATE Trial Results Suggesting Tumor Treating Fields Plus Paclitaxel may be Safe as First-Line Treatment and may Improve Survival of Patients with Recurrent Ovarian Cancer
Topline results demonstrate strong efficacy signals and support planning of phase 3 pivotal trial of TTFields in recurrent ovarian cancer
ST. HELIER, Jersey–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Novocure (NASDAQ: NVCR) presented data on Dec. 12, 2016, from its phase 2 pilot INNOVATE clinical trial at its research and development day suggesting that Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) in combination with weekly paclitaxel is tolerable and safe in patients with recurrent ovarian cancer. The data also suggested more than doubling of the progression free survival and an improvement in overall survival among patients who received TTFields therapy with paclitaxel compared to a recent phase 3 trial of patients who received paclitaxel alone¹.
Novocure will submit the data for presentation at an upcoming medical conference and will begin planning a phase 3 pivotal trial in recurrent ovarian cancer.
“These results are promising,” said Dr. Eilon Kirson, Novocure’s Chief Science Officer and Head of Research and Development. “Recurrent ovarian cancer is a very difficult to treat disease that quickly develops resistance to multiple types of chemotherapies. We are committed to researching TTFields as a potential treatment for ovarian cancer and look forward to beginning a phase 3 pivotal trial.”
About Ovarian Cancer
Ovarian cancer is the fifth most common cause of cancer death in women in the United States. The National Cancer Institute estimated that in 2016, there were approximately 22,000 new cases of ovarian cancer diagnosed and approximately 14,000 deaths in the United States. Ovarian cancer incidence increases with age, and the median age at time of diagnosis is 63 years old. The five-year survival rate is 44 percent, and the majority of patients present at advanced stage with 60 percent having metastatic disease. TTFields therapy is not approved for the treatment of ovarian cancer by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The safety and effectiveness of TTFields therapy for ovarian cancer has not been established.
About Novocure
Novocure is a commercial-stage oncology company developing a novel, proprietary therapy called Tumor Treating Fields, or TTFields, for the treatment of solid tumor cancers. Novocure’s commercialized product, Optune, is approved for the treatment of adult patients with glioblastoma. Novocure has ongoing or completed phase 2 pilot trials investigating TTFields in non-small cell lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, ovarian cancer and mesothelioma.
Headquartered in Jersey, Novocure has U.S. operations in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Malvern, Pennsylvania, and New York City. Additionally, the company has offices in Germany, Switzerland and Japan, and a research center in Haifa, Israel. For additional information about the company, please visit www.novocure.com or follow us at www.twitter.com/novocure.
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1 Bevacizumab Combined With Weekly Paclitaxel, Pegylated Liposomal Doxorubicin, or Topotecan in Platinum-Resistant Recurrent Ovarian Cancer: Analysis by Chemotherapy Cohort of the Randomized Phase III AURELIA Trial, The Journal of Clinical Oncology, Nov. 10, 2015, Vol. 33, No. 32
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