Here's Why Novocure Is Having A Huge Day

Shares of Novocure, a commercial-stage oncology company, surged higher by more than 10 percent on Monday after the company announced favorable results of a new Phase 3 trial.

Novocure is engaged in developing a therapy called Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) for the treatment of solid tumor cancers. The company offers Optune, a TTFields delivery system for use as a monotherapy treatment.

Related Link: New Phase 3 Data Show Optune In Combination With Second-Line Chemo Is Superior

Phase 3 Study Results

Novocure announced on Friday results from a Phase 3 study, which showed that "glioblastoma patients who received TTFields in combination with chemotherapy at first recurrence lived significantly longer than patients who received chemotherapy alone."

The company's press release added, "The post-hoc analysis of the EF-14 Phase 3 clinical trial shows that patients treated with TTFields in combination with physician's best choice second line chemotherapy reduced their risk of death by 31 percent compared to patients treated with physician's best choice second line chemotherapy alone (HR=0.695, p=0.0489).Patients treated with TTFields in combination with bevacizumab (Avastin®), reduced their risk of death by 39 percent compared to patients treated with bevacizumab alone (HR=0.606, p=0.0428)."

"Our analysis shows that GBM patients continue benefiting from TTFields therapy even after their disease has recurred," Santosh Kesari (trial investigator, chair of translational neuro-oncology and neurotherapeutics at John Wayne Cancer Institute and director of neuro-oncology at the Pacific Brain Tumor Center) said in the company's press release. "This survival benefit is maintained across multiple lines of second line therapy, including bevacizumab, and points to the need for physicians to incorporate Optune into the standard-of-care for glioblastoma."

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