Interim results from the STELLAR trial, presented in December 2016, suggest improvements in progression free survival and one-year survival rates when TTFields is added to standard chemotherapy

ST. HELIER, Jersey--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Novocure (NASDAQ: NVCR) announced today that the last patient has been enrolled in the STELLAR trial, a phase 2 pilot trial testing Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) in combination with either pemetrexed and cisplatin or carboplatin in patients with newly diagnosed, unresectable malignant mesothelioma. The final data collection date will be 12 months after the last patient in.

“The interim data presented at International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) 17th World Conference on Lung Cancer were extremely encouraging in a disease where a significant unmet need clearly remains,” said Dr. Uri Weinberg, Novocure’s Vice President of Research and Development. “The one-year survival rates of patients treated with TTFields combined with pemetrexed and cisplatin or carboplatin were more than 50% greater than historical control data.”

The open-label trial includes 80 patients with unresectable, previously untreated malignant mesothelioma. STELLAR’s primary endpoint is overall survival and secondary endpoints are progression free survival, response rate, and treatment-emergent toxicity.

“We look forward to seeing the final results from the STELLAR trial,” said Asaf Danziger, Novocure’s CEO. “The interim data give us hope that TTFields used in combination with standard of care chemotherapies may increase survival for patients with mesothelioma without significantly increasing side effects.”

Treatment with Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) is not approved for mesothelioma. The safety and effectiveness of treatment with TTFields for mesothelioma has not been established.

About Mesothelioma

Malignant mesothelioma is a rare thoracic solid tumor cancer that occurs in approximately 3,000 patients in the United States annually. Asbestos exposure has been strongly associated with the development of mesothelioma, which may occur many years following the exposure. The prognosis of mesothelioma patients is very poor, with a median overall survival of approximately 12 months in most reported studies.

About Novocure

Novocure is an oncology company developing a profoundly different cancer treatment centered on a proprietary therapy called TTFields, the use of electric fields tuned to specific frequencies to disrupt solid tumor cancer cell division. Novocure’s commercialized product, Optune, is approved for the treatment of adult patients with glioblastoma. Novocure has ongoing or completed clinical trials investigating TTFields in brain metastases, 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 Israel. For additional information about the company, please visit www.novocure.com or follow us at www.twitter.com/novocure.

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Source: Novocure