2000
Novocure’s start
Prof. Yoram Palti sets up a laboratory in his basement in Haifa, Israel. He unearths his 40-year-old doctoral thesis on the distribution of electric fields in nerve fibers and seeks to apply it to cancer.
2000
going in the right direction
The preclinical research center is established. Videos capturing alternating electric fields killing cancer cells provide further evidence supporting what would become Novocure’s cancer therapy, Tumor Treating Fields.
2003
moving from petri dish to patient
Novocure designs a safe method to efficiently deliver Tumor Treating Fields into a patient’s body utilizing ceramic insulators.
2003
first institutional investment
WFD Ventures LLC, a private venture capital firm, provides substantial financial backing for Novocure. William Doyle, cofounder and managing director of WFD, joins the Novocure board as the executive chairman.
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2003
treating the first patient
Novocure begins its first clinical trial of Tumor Treating Fields therapy with four patients in Switzerland.
2004
confronting glioblastoma
A phase 1 / phase 2 trial investigating the safety and efficacy of Tumor Treating Fields therapy begins in glioblastoma multiforme, a form of advanced brain cancer.
2006
phase 3 trial in recurrent glioblastoma
Novocure begins the EF-11 clinical trial to investigate the safety and efficacy of Tumor Treating Fields therapy versus physician’s choice chemotherapy in recurrent glioblastoma.
2007
publication in a peer-reviewed journal
Novocure’s clinical research is published for the first time in a top-tier, peer-reviewed scientific journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
2007
getting certified
Novocure receives the CE certificate to market Tumor Treating Fields therapy for the treatment of newly diagnosed and recurrent glioblastoma in the European Union (2007), followed by approvals in Japan (2015) and Canada (2023).
2009
phase 3 trial in newly diagnosed glioblastoma
The EF-14 clinical trial investigated the safety and efficacy of Tumor Treating Fields therapy with temozolomide versus temozolomide alone in newly diagnosed glioblastoma.
2011
first FDA approval in recurrent GBM
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves Tumor Treating Fields therapy for treatment of recurrent glioblastoma under the Premarket Approval pathway. This marks Novocure’s first U.S. commercial approval for a cancer indication.
2013
global operations center opens
Novocure builds a supply chain and creates a centralized warehouse in Switzerland
to support a growing global oncology company.
2014
EF-14 trial stopped for early success
The EF-14 Independent Data Monitoring Committee recommended stopping the trial because of early success at interim analysis of the data.
2015
a second FDA approval
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves Tumor Treating Fields therapy for the treatment of newly diagnosed glioblastoma under the Premarket Approval pathway.
2015
going public
The outcome of the EF-14 study transforms the company, allowing Novocure to launch its initial public offering to help fund the company’s future. Novocure goes public on the NASDAQ Global Select Market.
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2016
a smaller and lighter device
To improve the patient experience, Novocure creates a system half the size and less than half the weight of the first generation device, which is then approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
2017
long-term survival
Landmark analyses of the final data of the EF-14 trial are published in JAMA.
2018
a pathway to reach more patients
Novocure and Zai Lab, a Shanghai-based bio-pharmaceutical company, form a strategic collaboration with the goal of making our therapy available in Greater China. Two years later, Tumor Treating Fields therapy is approved in China for the treatment of glioblastoma.
2019
a platform therapy
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves Tumor Treating Fields therapy under the Humanitarian Device Exemption pathway for the treatment of mesothelioma together with standard chemotherapies.
The effectiveness of this device for this use has not been demonstrated.
2019
Medicare reimbursement
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services grants Medicare coverage of Optune for Medicare beneficiaries with newly diagnosed glioblastoma.
2020
a new era of clinical collaboration
Novocure announces its first clinical trial collaboration with a global pharmaceutical company to evaluate Tumor Treating Fields therapy together with immunotherapy in the Keynote B36 trial.
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2022
recognizing innovation
Novocure founder Prof. Yoram Palti receives the Israel Prize in recognition of his entrepreneurship and technological innovation.
Patient’s health status reflects condition at the time the photograph was taken and may have changed over time.
2022
CE Mark for new arrays in Europe
Novocure launches polymer-based transducer arrays designed for more efficient delivery of Tumor Treating Fields therapy and greater comfort for glioblastoma patients.
2023
building for the future
With tens of thousands of patients treated and more than 1,400 employees worldwide, Novocure continues to grow and pursue its mission to extend survival in some of the most aggressive forms of cancer.
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