Novocure Announces Commercial Launch of NovoTTF™ Therapy in Europe and Israel

LUCERNE, Switzerland, July 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Novocure, a commercial stage oncology company, announced today that 18 prominent neurosurgeons and neuro-oncologists at medical centers in Europe and Israel are trained and certified to prescribe NovoTTF Therapy. These physicians will now be able to treat recurrent glioblastoma patients using this novel, anti-mitotic therapy on prescription order outside clinical trials.  

The following physicians have been certified to treat patients using NovoTTF Therapy:

Austria
Vienna
-Prof. Priv.-Doz. Dr. med. M. Preusser, Ordinationszentrum Döbling

Czech Republic
Prague
-Prof. Dr. med. J. Vymazal, Na Homolce Hospital

England
London
- Prof. Dr. med. C. Lindquist, Cromwell Hospital

France
Lyon
-Prof. J. Honnorat, Hôpital neurologique, Hospices Civils de Lyon
Paris
-Dr. Ahmed Idbaih, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié Salpêtrière

Germany
Düsseldorf
-Prof. Dr. med. F. Ulrich, Neuro-Unit CME Düsseldorf
Duisburg
-Prof. Dr. med. M. Scholz and Prof. Dr. med. S. Petrasch, Klinikum Duisburg/Wedau Kliniken 
Hamburg  
-Dr. med. T. Martens and Prof. Dr. med. M. Westphal, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf
Heidelberg
-Prof. Dr. med. W. Wick, Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg
Kiel
-Prof. Dr. med. H. M. Mehdorn, Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein  
Regensburg
-Dr. med. C. Doenitz and Prof. Dr. med. A. Brawanski, Universitätsklinikum

Greece
Athens    
-Dr. M. Torrens, ChM FRCS, HYGEIA Hospital  

Israel
Tel Aviv
-Prof. Zvi Ram, Tel Aviv Medical Center

Switzerland
Lausanne
-Dr. med. A. Hottinger, MD PhD, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois  
Zurich
-Prof. Dr. med. R. Stupp, Zurich University Hospital

"We are honored to be working with such world-renowned oncology experts to provide NovoTTF Therapy to recurrent glioblastoma patients," said Peter Melnyk, Chief Commercial Officer of Novocure. "Training leading physicians at these medical centers is the first step in the commercial launch of our product in Europe and Israel."

About Glioblastoma
Glioblastoma is the most common form of primary brain cancer with approximately 13,000 patients diagnosed each year in Europe. The disease is known as recurrent glioblastoma when the tumor progresses or recurs after initial treatment. Overall survival from the time of recurrence has been reported at 3-5 months without active treatment.

About the NovoTTF-100A System and NovoTTF Therapy
NovoTTF-100A System is a portable, non-invasive medical device that delivers NovoTTF Therapy. The NovoTTF-100A System is designed for continuous use by patients. In vitro and in vivo studies have shown that the NovoTTF-100A System slows and reverses tumor growth by inhibiting mitosis, the process by which cells divide and replicate. The NovoTTF-100A System creates a low intensity, alternating electric field within a tumor that exerts physical forces on electrically charged cellular components, preventing the normal mitotic process and causing cancer cell death. In patients with recurrent glioblastoma, the NovoTTF-100A System has shown clinical efficacy comparable to that of active chemotherapies with better quality of life and without many of the side effects of chemotherapy. The NovoTTF-100A System is a CE Marked device cleared for sale in the European Union, Switzerland, Australia and Israel.

Approved Indication
In the European Union, Switzerland and Australia, the NovoTTF-100A System is intended for the treatment of patients with recurrent GBM who have progressed after surgery, radiotherapy and Temozolomide treatment for their primary disease. The treatment is intended for adult patients, 18 years of age or older, and should be started more than 4 weeks after the latest surgery, radiation therapy or chemotherapy.

In Israel, the NovoTTF-100A System is approved for use as a treatment for adult patients (22 years of age or older) with histologically-confirmed GBM, following histologically – or radiologically-confirmed recurrence in the supra-tentorial region of the brain after receiving chemotherapy. The NovoTTF-100A System is intended to be used as a monotherapy, and is intended as an alternative to standard medical therapy for GBM after surgical and radiation options have been exhausted.

Patients should only use the NovoTTF-100A System under the supervision of a physician who is properly trained to use of the NovoTTF-100A System. Full prescribing information is available by calling toll free in Europe +800 455 36 000 or email [email protected].

About Novocure™
Novocure Limited is a private oncology company developing and commercializing NovoTTF Therapy, a novel treatment for solid tumor cancers. Novocure Limited is registered in the Jersey Isle, with subsidiaries in the US, Europe, Israel and Japan. Novocure's US operations are based in Portsmouth, NH and New York, NY. European operations are based in Switzerland and the company maintains a research center in Haifa, Israel. For additional information about the company please visit: www.novocure.com

Media Contact:
Peter Melnyk, Novocure
[email protected]
+1 (212) 767-7534

SOURCE Novocure