Physicians at 23 brain cancer centers in Japan are now certified to provide Optune to recurrent glioblastoma patients on prescription order. US-based Novocure, a commercial stage oncology company, has announced that 31 neurosurgeons at medical centers across Japan have now been trained and certified to prescribe Optune.

These physicians will now be able to treat recurrent glioblastoma (GBM) patients using this novel, anti-mitotic therapy on prescription order.

Optune is a portable, non-invasive medical device designed for continuous use by patients. In vitro and in vivo studies have shown that Optune slows and reverses tumor growth by inhibiting mitosis, the process by which cells divide and replicate.

Optune creates a low intensity, alternating electric field within a tumor that exerts physical forces on electrically charged cellular components, preventing the normal mitotic process and causing cancer cell death. Optune has received marketing approval in the United States (US) and Japan and is a CE Marked device approved for sale in the European Union, Switzerland, Australia and Israel.

The certification training coincided with the grand opening celebration for Novocure's new Japanese headquarters in the Chiyoda-ku district of Tokyo and represents an important milestone for Novocure's expansion into Japan, the world's second largest medical device market.

In conjunction with the commercial launch, Novocure also announced today the launch of its product website in Japan. The website provides a one-stop resource in Japanese for healthcare professionals seeking information on Optune for the treatment of recurrent glioblastoma.