FDA approves Novocure’s Optune Lua

Switzerland-based Novocure (Nasdaq: NVCR) saw its shares rise 10% yesterday and leap a further 24% to $22.05 pre-market, after the company received a new US regulatory approval for its key product Optune Lua.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Optune Lua for concurrent use with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors or docetaxel, for the treatment of adult patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (mNSCLC) who have progressed on or after a platinum-based regimen.

“Novocure is committed to extending survival in some of the most aggressive and difficult to treat cancers. The approval of Optune Lua brings a new and urgently needed option for people with metastatic NSCLC who have progressed while on or after platinum-based chemotherapy,” said Asaf Danziger, chief executive of Novocure.