FDA approves Israeli development for pancreatic cancer treatment

Novocure was based on the late Professor Yoram Palti’s pioneering invention for treating cancer by directing electric fields at the tumor to prevent cells in the tumor from dividing.

The company already sells products for certain types of brain and lung cancers. The new product, which has received FDA approval, is intended for patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer and is given in combination with chemotherapy. The company said this is the first approval of a new treatment for this group of patients in almost three decades.

Pancreatic cancer is considered one of the deadliest types of cancer. The approval came after the company completed a clinical trial that included 571 patients and showed an average increase in life expectancy of those diagnosed by two months and an increase in the time before a sharp deterioration in quality of life by more than six months.