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Novocure Announces Optune Lua® Receives Reimbursement Approval in Japan for the Treatment of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Novocure to launch Optune Lua in Japan with national reimbursement coverage BAAR, Switzerland--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Novocure (NASDAQ: NVCR) announced today that
About this update from Novocure Limited
Novocure to launch Optune Lua in Japan with national reimbursement coverage BAAR, Switzerland--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Novocure (NASDAQ: NVCR) announced today that Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare approved reimbursement for Optune Lua® through the country’s National Health Insurance coverage. Optune Lua is approved in Japan for concurrent use with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in adult patients with unresectable advanced/recurrent NSCLC who progressed on or after platinum-based chemotherapy. “Lung cancer remains one of the leading causes of cancer deaths in Japan. Healthcare providers and people living with this disease have an urgent need for access to approved treatment options,” said Hidehito Kotani, Vice President of Asia Pacific, Novocure. “The approval by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of reimbursement for Optune Lua through Japan’s National Health Insurance coverage provides patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer access to Optune Lua as a treatment option.” Optune Lua is a wearable, portable medical device that produces alternating electric fields known as Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields), which are delivered through non-invasive, wearable arrays. TTFields exert physical forces on the electrically charged components of dividing cancer cells, resulting in cancer cell death. Patients who are eligible to be treated with Optune Lua will be able to access therapy at qualified health centers. About Lung Cancer Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related death worldwide, and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for approximately 85% of all lung cancers.1 It is estimated that approximately 100,000 patients are diagnosed with NSCLC each year in Japan.2 Physicians use different combinations of surgery, radiation and pharmacological therapies to treat NSCLC, depending on the stage of the disease. Surgery, which may be curative in a subset of patients, is usually used in early stages of the disease. Since 1991, radiation with a combination of platinum-based chemotherapy drugs has been the first-line standard of care for locally advanced NSCLC. Certain immune checkpoint inhibitors, including both PD-1 and PD-L1 inhibitors, have been approved for the first-line treatment of NSCLC and the standard of care in this setting continues to evolve rapidly. About Tumor Treating Fields Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) are electric ...