Novocure Announces Clinical Trial Collaboration with Roche to Evaluate Tumor Treating Fields as Part of a Novel Combination for the First-line Treatment of Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer
St. Helier, Jersey – Novocure (NASDAQ: NVCR) today announced it has entered into a clinical trial collaboration agreement with Roche (SIX: RO. ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY), to develop Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) together with Roche’s anti-PD-L1 therapy, atezolizumab, in metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (mPDAC).
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the most common type of pancreatic cancer and accounts for 85%–95% of all solid pancreatic tumors. As a highly lethal malignancy, it is the seventh leading cause of cancer death worldwide and is responsible for more than 300,000 deaths per year. PDAC is highly resistant to current therapies, affording patients a 5-year overall survival rate of only 7.2%.
“We are pleased to collaborate with Roche, a global leader in oncology, to explore the efficacy of TTFields together with atezolizumab immunotherapy in pancreatic cancer,” said William Doyle, Novocure’s Executive Chairman. “The immune-shielded environment of the pancreas has proved challenging for immunotherapies alone to provide benefit. Our phase 2 pilot trial with Roche will study the ability of TTFields together with atezolizumab to improve clinical outcomes for patients with this deadly disease.”
The phase 2 study was designed to test the safety and efficacy of TTFields together with atezolizumab, gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel as a first-line treatment for mPDAC. The study is designed to enroll approximately 75 patients in the EU and United States. The primary endpoint of the study is disease control rate by RECIST 1.1. The secondary endpoints include overall survival, progression free survival, one year survival, objective response rate, PFS at six months, duration of response, and toxicity profile. Novocure is the study sponsor and Roche is providing atezolizumab for the trial.
Investor Contact:
Ingrid Goldberg
investorinfo@novocure.com
610-723-7427
Media Contact:
Leigh Labrie
media@novocure.com
610-723-7428
