Novocure Receives FDA Approval for Optune Device in Combination With Temozolomide

Novocure has received FDA approval for its Optune in combination with temozolomide for the treatment of patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma.

Optune is a non-invasive device that that inhibits cancer cell replication and causes cancer cell death through the delivery of low-intensity, intermediate frequency, alternating electric fields.

According to the St. Helier, N.J.-based company, the two-year survival rate among patients treated with Optune in combination with temozolomide was 50 percent higher than in patients treated with temozolomide alone.

Optuneis intended as a treatment for adult patients 22 and older in the U.S. with histologically confirmed glioblastoma multiforme, and for those 18 and older in the EU with newly diagnosed GBM following surgery and radiotherapy with adjuvant temozolomid. — Michael Cipriano