On April 14, 2011, Novocure announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the NovoTTF-100A System (NovoTTF) for the treatment of adult patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) brain tumors, following tumor recurrence after receiving chemotherapy. The portable, wearable device delivers an anti-mitotic, anti-cancer therapy as patients maintain their normal daily activities. The NovoTTF is a novel, first-in-class treatment option for patients and physicians battling glioblastoma. "Our device provides patients and physicians with a novel, non-invasive alternative to chemotherapy that is safe and effective," said Dr. Eilon Kirson, Novocure's Chief Medical Officer. "The device allows for continuous treatment without the usual, debilitating side effects that chemotherapies inflict on recurrent GBM patients and indirectly on their families." The NovoTTF-100A System is a portable, non-invasive medical device designed for continuous use throughout the day by the patient. The device has been shown in in vitro studies to slow and reverse tumor growth by inhibiting mitosis, the process by which cells divide and replicate. The NovoTTF-100A device, which weighs about six pounds (three kilograms), creates a low intensity, alternating electric field within the tumor that exerts physical forces on electrically charged cellular components, preventing the normal mitotic process and causing cancer cell death prior to division. Novocure currently has US and European marketing approvals for the NovoTTF-100A. Results from a 237 patient randomized pivotal trial demonstrated that compared to patients treated with chemotherapy, NovoTTF-treated patients achieved comparable median overall survival times, had fewer side effects, and reported improved quality of life scores.Login Or Register To Read Full Story