By Sneha S K
June 18 (Reuters) – Novocure said on Thursday that a late-stage trial showed early use of its non-invasive cancer therapy did not significantly improve overall survival in patients with newly diagnosed brain tumors.
The company’s shares were down 19.1% at $14.29 in morning trading.
The study was designed to test the safety and efficacy of combining Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) therapy with chemoradiation in newly diagnosed glioblastoma patients, compared with administering TTFields after finishing chemoradiation.
Novocure’s Optune Gio TTFields device is already approved to treat glioblastoma in combination with chemotherapy.
The treatment uses low-energy electrical fields to kill cancer cells while sparing healthy cells. It is delivered through electrode pads that are connected to a wearable and portable device placed on the skin near the tumor. The device is typically worn through the day, allowing patients to go on with their daily activities.
In the trial, patients who began TTFields therapy at the start of chemoradiation had a median overall survival of 17.7 months, compared with 17.5 months in the maintenance group, the company said.
H.C. Wainwright analyst Emily Bodnar pointed out that since the trial evaluated an earlier stage population, which included rapid progressors who made up about 25% of patients, it was possible that the therapy not benefitting this group could have led to the failed trial.
The findings essentially show that advancing the timing of TTFields treatment does not improve survival, Bodnar added.
Although the study did not meet the main goal, the results “demonstrated promising signals that earlier initiation of TTFields treatment may improve outcomes for selected patients,” said Wenyin Shi, professor of radiation oncology, Thomas Jefferson University, in a statement.
Novocure’s approved TTFields therapy devices also include Optune Lua for a type of lung cancer and Optune Pax for pancreatic cancer.
(Reporting by Sneha S K in Bengaluru; Editing by Tasim Zahid, Sahal Muhammed and Diti Pujara)
