ST. HELIER, Jersey--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Novocure (NASDAQ:NVCR) announced today that a long-term analysis of the full trial cohort from its phase 3 pivotal EF-14 trial of Optune® in combination with temozolomide for the treatment of newly diagnosed glioblastoma (GBM) confirmed the superior survival results seen at interim analysis. The long-term analysis demonstrated superior two-, three- and four-year survival of patients treated with Optune together with temozolomide compared to temozolomide alone. The interim analysis results – published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) 1 in December 2015 – showed significant extension of both progression free and overall survival in newly diagnosed GBM patients receiving Optune with temozolomide compared to temozolomide alone.
EF-14 Principal Investigator Roger Stupp, M.D., Professor at the University of Zurich and Director of Department of Oncology at the Zurich University Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland, will present these late breaking results at the 21st Annual Scientific Meeting of the Society for Neuro-Oncology (SNO) on Nov. 18, in Scottsdale, Arizona.
“The analysis of the full dataset confirms the improvement in both progression free and overall survival we saw in the trial’s interim analysis, and demonstrates superior long-term survival,” Dr. Stupp said. “These mature results further validate Optune as a standard of care treatment option for glioblastoma, providing patients with a therapy that can extend their survival while maintaining their quality of life.”
“We are excited that Novocure’s long-term analysis of the EF-14 trial confirms the interim analysis results of superior overall and progression free survival, while providing new data on potential long-term survival benefits for newly diagnosed GBM patients,” said Elizabeth M. Wilson, President and CEO of the American Brain Tumor Association. “GBM patients need better treatment options, and it is a great day when new evidence shows that we are making progress in treating this disease.”
The long-term analysis of all patients (n=695) shows that:
- Patients treated with Optune together with temozolomide demonstrated a significant increase in median progression free survival (PFS) compared to temozolomide alone (median PFS of 6.7 months versus 4.0 months, respectively, hazard ratio=0.63, p=0.00005).
- Patients treated with Optune together with temozolomide demonstrated a significant increase in median overall survival (OS) compared to temozolomide alone (median OS from randomization of 20.8 months versus 16.0 months, respectively, hazard ratio=0.65, p=0.0006)
- The percentage of patients alive at two years in the Optune together with temozolomide arm was 43 percent compared to 30 percent in the temozolomide alone arm, a 43% increase in the chance of living two years.
- The percentage of patients alive at four years in the Optune together with temozolomide arm was 17 percent compared to 10 percent in the temozolomide alone arm, a 70% increase in the chance of living four years.
- Consistent with the interim analysis, the OS and PFS benefit of Optune together with temozolomide compared to temozolomide alone was seen across all patient subgroups tracked in the EF-14 trial, including patient age, performance status and tumor genetics.
- The safety profile in the long-term analysis was consistent with the interim analysis of the EF-14 trial.
“The long-term analysis further supports our data showing that Optune together with temozolomide is a better treatment option for newly diagnosed GBM patients compared to temozolomide alone,” said Asaf Danziger, Novocure’s CEO. “We believe these results will give health care providers further confidence in our therapy and transform the standard of care in newly diagnosed GBM. Our priority is to improve the lives of GBM patients, and we believe these results will help us to accomplish our mission.”
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.
Approved Indications
In the United States, Optune is intended as a treatment for adult patients (22 years of age or older) with histologically-confirmed glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).
In the United States, Optune with temozolomide is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with newly diagnosed, supratentorial glioblastoma following maximal debulking surgery and completion of radiation therapy together with concomitant standard of care chemotherapy.
In the United States, for the treatment of recurrent GBM, Optune is indicated following histologically-or radiologically-confirmed recurrence in the supratentorial region of the brain after receiving chemotherapy. The device 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.
Important Safety Information
Contraindications
Do not use Optune if you have an active implanted medical device, a skull defect (such as, missing bone with no replacement), or bullet fragments. Use of Optune together with implanted electronic devices has not been tested and may theoretically lead to malfunctioning of the implanted device. Use of Optune together with skull defects or bullet fragments has not been tested and may possibly lead to tissue damage or render Optune ineffective.
Do not use Optune if you are known to be sensitive to conductive hydrogels. In this case, skin contact with the gel used with Optune may commonly cause increased redness and itching, and rarely may even lead to severe allergic reactions such as shock and respiratory failure.
Warnings and Precautions
Use Optune only after receiving training from qualified personnel, such as your doctor, a nurse, or other medical personnel who have completed a training course given by Novocure (the device manufacturer).
Do not use Optune if you are pregnant, you think you might be pregnant or are trying to get pregnant. It is not known if Optune is safe or effective in these populations.
The most common (≥10%) adverse events involving Optune in combination with temozolomide were low blood platelet count, nausea, constipation, vomiting, fatigue, scalp irritation from device use, headache, convulsions, and depression.
The most common (≥10%) adverse events seen when using Optune alone were scalp irritation from device use and headache.
The following adverse reactions were considered related to Optune when using the device alone: scalp irritation from device use, headache, malaise, muscle twitching, fall and skin ulcer.
All servicing procedures must be performed by qualified and trained personnel.
Do not use any parts that do not come with the Optune Treatment Kit, or that were not sent to you by the device manufacturer or given to you by your doctor.
Do not wet the device or transducer arrays.
If you have an underlying serious skin condition on the scalp, discuss with your doctor whether this may prevent or temporarily interfere with Optune treatment.
Please see http://www.optune.com/safety to see the Optune Instructions For Use (IFU) for complete information regarding the device's indications, contraindications, warnings, and precautions.
Forward-Looking Statements
In addition to historical facts or statements of current condition, this press release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements provide Novocure’s current expectations or forecasts of future events. These may include statements regarding anticipated scientific progress on its research programs, development of potential products, interpretation of clinical results, prospects for regulatory approval, manufacturing development and capabilities, market prospects for its products, and other statements regarding matters that are not historical facts. You may identify some of these forward-looking statements by the use of words in the statements such as "anticipate," "estimate," "expect," "project," "intend," "plan," "believe" or other words and terms of similar meaning. Novocure's performance and financial results could differ materially from those reflected in these forward-looking statements due to general financial, economic, regulatory and political conditions as well as more specific risks and uncertainties facing Novocure such as those set forth in its Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 1, 2016, with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Given these risks and uncertainties, any or all of these forward-looking statements may prove to be incorrect. Therefore, you should not rely on any such factors or forward-looking statements. Furthermore, Novocure does not intend to update publicly any forward-looking statement, except as required by law. Any forward-looking statements herein speak only as of the date hereof. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 permits this discussion.
1 Stupp R, Taillibert S, Kanner AA, et al. Maintenance therapy with tumor-treating fields plus temozolomide vs temozolomide alone for glioblastoma: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA. 2015;314(23):2535-2543.
