ST. HELIER, Jersey--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Novocure (NASDAQ: NVCR) announced today initiatives to bring attention to Mesothelioma Awareness Day on September 26. In partnership with the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, Novocure has arranged for 25 buildings and landmarks to be lit in blue, the color associated with mesothelioma awareness. In 18 cities across the country including New York, Miami, Chicago, Dallas and Seattle, the illumination of these locations will help paint the world blue and bring attention to this devastating disease.
Approximately 3,000 people are diagnosed with mesothelioma in the U.S. each year.
“Mesothelioma is an extremely aggressive disease, with a low median life expectancy at diagnosis,” said Mary Hesdorffer, expert mesothelioma nurse practitioner and Executive Director of the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation. “But appropriate guidance and care can extend survival in individual patients, which is why bringing attention to this cancer is so crucial. We applaud Novocure’s dedicated efforts to raise awareness in this disease.”
Novocure has also launched efforts to support the mesothelioma community digitally. Novocure recently created a Facebook page for the mesothelioma community: facebook.com/OptuneLua. Additionally, Novocure has provided its U.S. employees and customers content to share on their personal social channels to help #painttheworldblue online.
“Novocure is proud to help raise awareness and drive resources for mesothelioma patients and their caregivers both on Mesothelioma Awareness Day and every day throughout the year,” said Pritesh Shah, Novocure’s Chief Commercial Officer. “Whether through our ongoing efforts to bring Optune Lua™ to patients or raising much needed awareness of this aggressive disease, we are committed to our patient-forward mission of striving to extend cancer survival.”
About Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma
Malignant pleural mesothelioma, or MPM, is a rare cancer that has been strongly linked to asbestos exposure. Approximately 3,000 people are diagnosed with MPM in the United States annually. Prior to the FDA approval of Optune Lua, pemetrexed plus cisplatin was the only FDA-approved therapy for patients with MPM that could not be surgically removed.
About Optune Lua
Optune Lua is a noninvasive, antimitotic cancer treatment for MPM. Optune Lua delivers Tumor Treating Fields to the region of the tumor.
Tumor Treating Fields is a cancer therapy that uses electric fields tuned to specific frequencies to disrupt cell division, inhibiting tumor growth and causing affected cancer cells to die. Tumor Treating Fields does not stimulate or heat tissue and targets dividing cancer cells of a specific size. Tumor Treating Fields causes minimal damage to healthy cells. Mild to moderate skin irritation is the most common side effect reported. Tumor Treating Fields is approved in certain countries for the treatment of adults with glioblastoma and in the U.S. for mesothelioma, two of the most difficult cancer types to treat. The therapy shows promise in multiple solid tumor types – including some of the most aggressive forms of cancer.
Caution: Federal law restricts this device to sale by or on the order of a physician. Humanitarian Device. Authorized by Federal Law for use in the treatment of adult patients with unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic, malignant pleural mesothelioma concurrently with pemetrexed and platinum-based chemotherapy. The effectiveness of this device for this use has not been demonstrated.
Approved Indications
Optune Lua is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic, malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) to be used concurrently with pemetrexed and platinum-based chemotherapy.
Important Safety Information
Contraindications
Do not use Optune Lua in patients with implantable electronic medical devices such as pacemakers or implantable automatic defibrillators, etc. Use of Optune Lua together with implanted electronic devices has not been tested and may lead to malfunctioning of the implanted device.
Do not use Optune Lua in patients known to be sensitive to conductive hydrogels. Skin contact with the gel used with Optune Lua may commonly cause increased redness and itching, and may rarely lead to severe allergic reactions such as shock and respiratory failure.
Warnings and Precautions
Optune Lua can only be prescribed by a healthcare provider that has completed the required certification training provided by Novocure®.
The most common (≥10%) adverse events involving Optune Lua in combination with chemotherapy were anemia, constipation, nausea, asthenia, chest pain, fatigue, medical device site reaction, pruritus, and cough.
Other potential adverse effects associated with the use of Optune Lua include: treatment related skin toxicity, allergic reaction to the plaster or to the gel, electrode overheating leading to pain and/or local skin burns, infections at sites of electrode contact with the skin, local warmth and tingling sensation beneath the electrodes, muscle twitching, medical device site reaction and skin breakdown/skin ulcer.
If the patient has an underlying serious skin condition on the treated area, evaluate whether this may prevent or temporarily interfere with Optune Lua treatment.
Do not prescribe Optune Lua for patients that are pregnant, you think might be pregnant or are trying to get pregnant, as the safety and effectiveness of Optune Lua in these populations have not been established.
Please visit www.optunelua.com to see Optune Lua Instructions For Use (IFU) for complete information regarding the device’s indications, contraindications, warnings, and precautions.
About Novocure
Novocure is a global oncology company working to extend survival in some of the most aggressive forms of cancer through the development and commercialization of its innovative therapy, Tumor Treating Fields. Tumor Treating Fields is a cancer therapy that uses electric fields tuned to specific frequencies to disrupt solid tumor cancer cell division. Novocure’s commercialized products are approved in certain countries for the treatment of adult patients with glioblastoma and in the U.S. for the treatment of adult patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma. Novocure has ongoing or completed clinical trials investigating Tumor Treating Fields in brain metastases, non-small cell lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, ovarian cancer, liver cancer and gastric cancer.
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, Japan and Israel. For additional information about the company, please visit www.novocure.com or follow us at www.twitter.com/novocure.
