STAT+: Novocure’s electric fields device prolongs survival in lung cancer, but doubts remain
CHICAGO — A medical device made by Novocure that creates electric fields in the lungs via wearable skin patches extended the survival of patients with lung cancer in a clinical trial, researchers reported Monday.
The findings could lead to a new approval for the device, called Optune, beyond its current marketing clearance to treat a type of brain cancer. Delivering additional sales, however, could be a significant challenge.
Novocure’s study achieved its primary goal and showed a survival benefit for patients with lung cancer that progressed following initial chemotherapy. But those data don’t fit the current medical practice for patients with lung cancer because nearly 70% of study participants didn’t receive initial treatment with an immune checkpoint inhibitor such as Merck’s Keytruda, which has come to dominate current therapy.
