Optune Lua a wearable, portable medical device, produces alternating electric fields called tumor-treating fields (TTFields). Delivered through non-invasive, wearable arrays, TTFields exert physical forces on the electrically charged components of dividing cancer cells.
Alternating electrical fields target the electrical properties of cancer cells to disrupt processes critical for cancer cell division and survival. This leads to cell death without significantly affecting healthy cells.
At just 2.7 pounds (with a battery), it offers a wearable, portable option for continuing normal daily activities. The company designed it for enhanced carrying comfort and usability.
The MHLW approved Optune Lua for concurrent use with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in September 2025. It offers treatment for adult patients with unresectable advanced/recurrent non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have progressed on or after platinum-based chemotherapy.
Optune Lua also has FDA approval for treating non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). It picked up that approval in October 2024, then earned CE mark approval for NSCLC about six months later. Novocure announced FDA approval for Optune Pax, a version of its system for treating pancreatic cancer, last month.
“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, VP 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.”
