Novocure Announces Launch of Recurrent Glioblastoma Product Website

PORTSMOUTH, N.H., May 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- In its ongoing effort to help patients, their caregivers and health care professionals easily find detailed information about its NovoTTF™ therapy for recurrent glioblastoma, Novocure™ today unveiled its U.S.-focused NovoTTF™ Therapy Website, found at www.novottftherapy.com.

Novocure™, a commercial stage private oncology company, manufactures the NovoTTF™-100A, a wearable device that delivers tumor treating fields (TTFields) therapy to patients suffering from recurrent glioblastoma (GBM). TTFields therapy is specifically tuned to disrupt the uncontrolled division of cancer cells, resulting in cancer cell death while sparing healthy cells. The NovoTTF-100A™ system was approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration in 2011 for the treatment of recurrent GBM, the most common and deadliest form of primary brain tumor, after clinical studies demonstrated that the therapy was comparable to chemotherapy in extending overall survival, with minimal side effects and a better quality of life.

TTFields therapy is the first entirely novel cancer treatment modality to be introduced for recurrent glioblastoma patients since the introduction of chemotherapy. The website ensures that patients, their caregivers and health care professionals have access to the latest information on this groundbreaking therapy. The NovoTTF™ Therapy Website explains the science behind TTFields, and how the NovoTTF™-100A device is operated and worn to treat patients with recurrent glioblastoma. The website contains dedicated sections for patients and health care providers, an up-to-date list of treatment centers, a trouble shooting section and other patient resources. There is also contact information for Novocure's patient access and assistance program, technical support and staff members who can answer questions that visitors to the site may have.

About Glioblastoma

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive and most common form of primary brain tumor. The disease affects approximately 10,000 Americans each year.  The median overall survival time from initial diagnosis is 15 months with optimal treatment, and median survival from the time of tumor recurrence is only 3-5 months without additional effective treatment.  The disease is widely recognized as one of the deadliest forms of cancer.

About the NovoTTF™-100A 

The NovoTTF™-100A is a portable, non-invasive medical device designed for continuous use throughout the day by the patient.  The device has been shown in both in vitro and in vivo studies to slow and reverse tumor growth by inhibiting mitosis, the process by which cells divide and replicate.  The NovoTTF™-100A device, which weighs about six pounds (three kilograms), creates a low intensity, alternating electric field within the tumor that exerts physical forces on electrically charged cellular components, preventing the normal mitotic process and causing cancer cell death prior to division.  In patients with recurrent GBM brain tumors, the device 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 has received marketing approval in the US and is a CE Marked device that is cleared for sale in Europe.

Approved Indication

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the NovoTTF-100A System in April 2011 for use as a treatment for adult patients (22 years of age or older) with histologically-confirmed glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), following histologically– or radiologically-confirmed recurrence in the supra-tentorial region of the brain after receiving chemotherapy.  The device is intended to be used as monotherapy, and as an alternative to standard medical therapy for GBM after surgical and radiation options have been exhausted.

Patients should only use the NovoTTF™-100A under the supervision of a physician properly trained in use of the device. Full prescribing information is available at www.novottftherapy.com or by calling toll free 1-855-281-9301.

About Novocure™

Novocure™ Limited is a private oncology company pioneering a novel therapy for solid tumors.  Novocure's worldwide headquarters is located in the Jersey Isle.  Novocure's US operations are based in Portsmouth, NH and the company's research center is located in Haifa, Israel. For additional information about the company, please visit www.novocure.com.

Media contacts:
Frank Leonard
[email protected]
215-854-4095

Peter Melnyk
[email protected]
212-767-7534
 

SOURCE Novocure