On May 19, 2016 Novocure (NASDAQ: NVCR) reported that the last patient has been enrolled in the INNOVATE trial, a phase 2 pilot trial testing Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) therapy in combination with weekly paclitaxel for the treatment of recurrent ovarian cancer (Press release, NovoCure, MAY 19, 2016, View Source [SID:1234512608]). The final data collection date will be six months after the last patient in.

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"TTFields therapy is an exciting, novel treatment modality with the potential to make a difference in the lives of recurrent ovarian cancer patients," said Professor Ignace Vergote, Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Catholic University Leuven and Director of the Leuven Cancer Institute, European Union. "We are eager to observe the results."

The open-label trial includes 30 patients from Spain, Belgium and Switzerland. INNOVATE is designed to test the feasibility, safety and preliminary efficacy of TTFields therapy together with weekly paclitaxel in recurrent ovarian cancer patients. Novocure plans to conduct a phase 3 pivotal trial in ovarian cancer if the results from the phase 2 trial are promising.

"We were happy to pioneer this pilot project and are looking forward to working on a randomized trial testing the efficacy of TTFields in ovarian cancer," said Professor Cristiana Sessa, Vice Head of Medical Oncology and Head of Clinical Research at the Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland, Ospedale San Giovanni in Bellinzona.

"In all of our preclinical and clinical research over the last 15 years, we have observed a consistent physical antimitotic effect regardless of cancer type," said Uri Weinberg, MD, PhD, Novocure’s Vice President of Research and Development, Clinical Trials. "Our preclinical research has shown synergistic effects between TTFields and taxane-based chemotherapies, and we are hopeful about the results of this study of TTFields plus weekly paclitaxel in recurrent ovarian cancer. Novocure is committed to developing TTFields as a low toxicity, effective therapy for multiple solid tumor cancers."

About Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian cancer is the fifth most common cause of cancer death in women in the United States. The National Cancer Institute estimated that in 2015, there were approximately 21,000 new cases of ovarian cancer diagnosed and approximately 14,000 deaths in the United States. Ovarian cancer incidence increases with age, and the median age at time of diagnosis is 63 years old. The five-year survival rate is 44 percent, and the majority of patients present at advanced stage with 60 percent having metastatic disease. TTFields therapy is not approved for the treatment of ovarian cancer by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The safety and effectiveness of TTFields therapy for ovarian cancer has not been established.