Novocure Announces Clinical Trial Collaboration with MSD

Novocure announced it has entered into a clinical trial collaboration agreement with MSD (a tradename of Merck & Co., Inc.), through a subsidiary, to develop Tumor Treating Fields together with MSD’s anti-PD-1 therapy KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab) for treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Novocure’s Tumor Treating Fields use electric fields tuned to specific frequencies to disrupt cell division, inhibiting tumor growth and causing cancer cells to die.

The two companies plan to conduct a phase 2 pilot study of Tumor Treating Fields concomitant with KEYTRUDA for first-line treatment of intrathoracic advanced or metastatic, PD-L1 positive NSCLC. The study is designed to enroll approximately 66 patients in the United States and is expected to begin in the second half of 2020. Objective response rate (ORR) is the primary endpoint of the study. Secondary endpoints include overall survival, progression free survival (PFS), PFS at six months, one-year survival rate, duration of response, disease control rate at 18 weeks and safety.

“We are very pleased to collaborate with MSD, a global leader in oncology, in this important combination study as we strive to extend survival in some of the most aggressive forms of cancer through the development and commercialization of Tumor Treating Fields,” said William Doyle, Novocure’s Executive Chairman. “Multiple preclinical studies suggest that the use of Tumor Treating Fields together with anti-PD-1 therapy can potentially augment the immune response resulting in improved tumor control. We look forward to generating clinical data demonstrating the effect of Tumor Treating Fields concurrent with KEYTRUDA in first-line NSCLC.”