NovoCure Ltd - Quarter Report: 2017 June (Form 10-Q)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

(Mark One)

For the quarterly period ended June 30, 2017

or

For the transition period from                       to

Commission File Number 001-37565

NovoCure Limited

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

Le Masurier House

La Rue Le Masurier

St. Helier, Jersey JE2 4YE

(Address of principal executive offices)

+44 (0) 15 3475 6700

(Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code)

Not Applicable

(Former Name, Former Address and Former Fiscal Year, If Changed Since Last Report)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports) and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes  ☒    No  ☐.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).    Yes  ☒    No  ☐.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.  ☒  

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    Yes  ☐    No  ☒.

Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the registrant’s classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date.

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

In addition to historical facts or statements of current condition, this report contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements contained in this report are based on our current plans, expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies concerning future developments and their impact on us.  Forward-looking statements contained in this report constitute our expectations or forecasts of future events as of the date this report was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and are not statements of historical fact. You can identify these statements by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. Such statements may include words such as “anticipate,” “will,” “estimate,” “expect,” “project,” “intend,” “should,” “plan,” “believe,” “hope,” and other words and terms of similar meaning in connection with any discussion of, among other things, future operating or financial performance, strategic initiatives and business strategies, regulatory or competitive environments, our intellectual property and delivery system research and development. In particular, these forward-looking statements include, among others, statements about:

These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements. Factors which may cause such differences to occur include those risks and uncertainties set forth under Part I, Item 1A., “Risk Factors” of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016, as well as other risks and uncertainties set forth from time to time in the reports we file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. We do not intend to update publicly any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

TRADEMARKS

This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q includes trademarks of NovoCure Limited and other persons. All trademarks or trade names referred to herein are the property of their respective owners.

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NovoCure Limited

Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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PART I—FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1.  Financial Statements

NOVOCURE LIMITED AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

U.S. dollars in thousands

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited consolidated financial statements.

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NOVOCURE LIMITED AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

U.S. dollars in thousands (except share data)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited consolidated financial statements.

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NOVOCURE LIMITED AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

U.S. dollars in thousands (except share and per share data)

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)

U.S. dollars in thousands

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited consolidated financial statements.

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NOVOCURE LIMITED AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

U.S. dollars in thousands (except share data)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited consolidated financial statements.

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NOVOCURE LIMITED AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

U.S. dollars in thousands

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited consolidated financial statements.

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NOVOCURE LIMITED AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

U.S. dollars in thousands (except share data)

NOTE 1: ORGANIZATION AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION

Organization.  NovoCure Limited (including its consolidated subsidiaries, the “Company”) was incorporated in the Bailiwick of Jersey and is principally engaged in the development, manufacture and commercialization of Tumor Treating Fields (“TTFields”) for the treatment of solid tumors. The Company has regulatory approvals and clearances in certain countries for Optune, its first TTFields delivery system, to treat adult patients with glioblastoma (“GBM”).   

Financial statement preparation. The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries, and intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated. In the opinion of the Company’s management, the consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments, which are normal and recurring in nature, necessary for fair financial statement presentation. The preparation of these consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in these consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ materially from those estimates. These consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes should be read in conjunction with the Company’s annual consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016 (the “2016 10-K”) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on February 23, 2017.

The significant accounting policies applied in the audited annual consolidated financial statements of the Company as disclosed in the 2016 10-K are applied consistently in these unaudited interim consolidated financial statements, except as noted below:

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements. In March 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2016-09, Compensation-Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting. The amendments in ASU 2016-09 affect all entities that issue share-based payment awards to their employees and involve multiple aspects of the accounting for share-based payment transactions, including income tax consequences, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities, and classification on the statement of cash flows. ASU 2016-09 is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods within those annual periods.  The Company adopted ASU 2016-09 during the quarter ended March 31, 2017, at which time it changed its accounting policy to account for forfeitures as they occur. The change was applied on a modified retrospective basis with a cumulative effect adjustment to accumulated deficit of $670 as of January 1, 2017. In addition, excess tax benefits for share-based payments are now presented as an operating activity in the statements of cash flows rather than financing activity. The changes have been applied prospectively in accordance with the ASU and prior periods have not been adjusted.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements. In May 2014, FASB issued ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) (ASU 2014-09), which amends the existing accounting standards for revenue recognition. In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-14, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Deferral of the Effective Date, which delays the effective date of ASU 2014-09 by one year. The FASB also agreed to allow entities to choose to adopt the standard as of the original effective date.  The new revenue recognition standard will be effective in the first quarter of 2018, with the option to adopt it in the first quarter of 2017. The Company currently anticipates adopting the new standard effective January 1, 2018. The new standard also permits two methods of adoption: retrospectively to each prior reporting period presented (full retrospective method), or retrospectively with the cumulative effect of initially applying the guidance recognized at the date of initial application (the modified retrospective method). The Company currently anticipates adopting the standard using the modified retrospective method. While the Company is still in the process of completing its assessment on the impact this guidance will have on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures, the Company expects that the most significant impact relates to the accounting for revenue transactions whereby there is variable consideration.

In April 2016, FASB issued ASU 2016-10, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Identifying Performance Obligations and Licensing. ASU 2016-10 covers two specific topics: performance obligations and licensing. This amendment includes guidance on immaterial promised goods or services, shipping or handling activities, separately identifiable performance obligations, functional or symbolic intellectual property licenses, sales-based and usage-based royalties, license restrictions (time, use, geographical) and licensing renewals. In addition, in May 2016, FASB issued ASU No. 2016-12, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Narrow-Scope Improvements and Practical Expedients, which is intended to not change the core principle of the guidance in Topic 606, but rather affect only the narrow aspects of Topic 606 by reducing the potential for diversity in practice at initial application and by reducing the cost and complexity of applying Topic 606 both at transition and on an ongoing basis. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of the adoption of both revenue standards on its consolidated financial statements.

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In February 2016, FASB issued ASU 2016-02-Leases (ASC 842), which sets out the principles for the recognition, measurement, presentation and disclosure of leases for both parties to a contract (i.e. lessees and lessors). The new standard requires lessees to apply a dual approach, classifying leases as either finance or operating leases based on the principle of whether or not the lease is effectively a financed purchase by the lessee. This classification will determine whether lease expense is recognized based on an effective interest method or on a straight line basis over the term of the lease, respectively. A lessee is also required to record a right-of-use asset and a lease liability for all leases with a term of greater than twelve months regardless of their classification. Leases with a term of twelve months or less will be accounted for similar to existing guidance for operating leases. The new standard requires lessors to account for leases using an approach that is substantially equivalent to existing guidance for sales-type leases, direct financing leases and operating leases. ASC 842 supersedes the previous leases standard, ASC 840. The standard is effective on January 1, 2019, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of the adoption of this standard on its consolidated financial statements.

In May 2017, FASB issued ASU 2017-09, Compensation-Stock Compensation (Topic 718) Scope of Modification Accounting. ASU 2017-09 provides clarification on when modification accounting should be used for changes to the terms or conditions of a share-based payment award. This ASU does not change the accounting for modifications but clarifies that modification accounting guidance should only be applied if there is a change to the value, vesting conditions, or award classification and would not be required if the changes are considered non-substantive. The Company is evaluating the impact of ASU 2017-09.

NOTE 2: SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS

The Company invests in marketable U.S. Treasury Bills (“T-bills”) that are classified as held-to-maturity securities. The amortized cost and recorded basis of the T-bills are presented as short-term investments in the amount of $104,186 and $119,854 as of June 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively, and their estimated fair value as of June 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016 was $104,106 and $119,825, respectively.

NOTE 3: INVENTORIES

Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or market. The weighted average methodology is applied to determine cost. As of June 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, the Company’s inventories were composed of:

NOTE 4: COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENT LIABILITIES

The facilities of the Company are leased under various operating lease agreements for periods ending no later than 2024. The Company also leases motor vehicles under various operating leases, which expire on various dates, the latest of which is in 2020.

As of June 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, the Company pledged bank deposits of $1,051 and $807, respectively, to cover bank guarantees in respect of its leases of operating facilities and obtained guarantees by the bank for the fulfillment of the Company’s lease and other contractual commitments of $1,214 and $955, respectively.

In January 2017, two putative class action lawsuits were filed against the Company, its directors and certain of its officers, as well as the underwriters in the Company’s October 2015 initial public offering.  The complaints, which purport to be brought on behalf of a class of persons and/or entities who purchased or otherwise acquired ordinary shares of the Company pursuant and/or traceable to the registration statement and prospectus issued in connection with the Company’s initial public offering, allege material misstatements and/or omissions in the Company’s initial public offering materials in alleged violation of the federal securities laws and seek compensatory damages, among other remedies.  The two actions have been consolidated and the plaintiffs filed a consolidated amended complaint on May 31, 2017.  The court granted the defendants’ motion to bifurcate the motion to dismiss into two stages: a threshold motion to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction, lack of subject matter jurisdiction, and insufficient process and service of process, due on July 31, 2017; and, if the matter is not dismissed following that threshold motion, a subsequent merits motion to dismiss regarding whether the allegations in the amended complaint state a claim under the securities laws. The Company believes that the amended complaint is without merit and plans to defend the consolidated lawsuits vigorously. The Company has not accrued

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any amounts in respect of these lawsuits, as a liability is not probable and the amount of any potential liability cannot be reasonably estimated.

NOTE 5: SHARE CAPITAL

For the six months ended June 30, 2017, warrants to purchase 1,417,097 ordinary shares with an exercise price of $3.59 per share were cashlessly exercised, resulting in the issuance of 801,845 ordinary shares.  Also, warrants to purchase 6,498 ordinary shares with an exercise price of $3.59 per share were exercised for cash. For the six months ended June 30, 2017, options to purchase 639,902 ordinary shares were exercised for cash, resulting in the issuance of 639,902 ordinary shares.  

NOTE 6: EQUITY INCENTIVE PLANS

In September 2015, the Company adopted the 2015 Omnibus Incentive Plan (the “2015 Plan”).  Under the 2015 Plan, the Company can issue various types of equity compensation awards such as share options, restricted shares, performance shares, restricted stock units (“RSUs”), performance units, long-term cash award and other share-based awards.  

Options granted under the 2015 Plan generally have a four-year vesting period and expire ten years after the date of grant. Options granted under the 2015 Plan that are cancelled or forfeited before expiration become available for future grants. RSUs granted under the 2015 Plan vest in equal installments over a three-year period.  As of June 30, 2017, 9,824,964 ordinary shares were available for grant under the 2015 Plan.  

A summary of the status of the Company’s option plans as of June 30, 2017 and changes during the period then ended is presented below: 

A summary of the status of the Company’s RSUs as of June 30, 2017 and changes during the period then ended is presented below: 

In September 2015, the Company adopted an employee share purchase plan (“ESPP”) to encourage and enable eligible employees to acquire ownership of the Company’s ordinary shares purchased through accumulated payroll deductions on an after-tax basis. In the United States, the ESPP is intended to be an “employee stock purchase plan” within the meaning of Section 423 of the Internal Revenue Code and the provisions of the ESPP will be construed in a manner consistent with the requirements of such section. The

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Company began its offerings under the ESPP on August 1, 2016. As of June 30, 2017, 2,328,171 ordinary shares were available to be purchased by eligible employees under the ESPP and 209,355 shares had been issued under the ESPP.

The fair value of equity-based awards was estimated using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model for all grants with the following underlying assumptions: 

The total non-cash share-based compensation expense related to all of the Company’s equity-based awards recognized for the three and six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016 and the year ended December 31, 2016 was:

NOTE 7: SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION

The Company operates in a single reportable segment.

The following table presents long-lived assets by location:

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The Company’s revenues by geographic region, based on the customer’s location, are summarized as follows:

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Item 2.  Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (“MD&A”) is intended to provide information to assist you in better understanding and evaluating our financial condition and results of operations. We encourage you to read this MD&A in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto for the period ended June 30, 2017 included in Part I, Item 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.  This discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties.  As a result of many factors, such as those set forth under Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors”, of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016 (the “2016 10-K”), our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements. References to the words “we,” “our,” “us,” and the “Company” in this report refer to NovoCure Limited, including its consolidated subsidiaries.

Overview

We are a commercial stage oncology company developing a profoundly different cancer treatment centered on a proprietary therapy called Tumor Treating Fields (“TTFields”), the use of electric fields tuned to specific frequencies to disrupt solid tumor cancer cell division.  Our key priorities are to accelerate commercial adoption of Optune, our first commercial TTFields delivery system, for the treatment of glioblastoma (“GBM”) and to advance programs testing the efficacy and safety of TTFields in multiple solid tumor indications through our clinical pipeline.

We were founded in 2000 and operated as a development stage company through December 31, 2011. We initially received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) approval for Optune in 2011 for use as a monotherapy treatment for adult patients with GBM following confirmed recurrence after chemotherapy. In October 2015, we received FDA approval to market Optune for the treatment of adult patients with newly diagnosed GBM in combination with temozolomide, a chemotherapy drug. We have also received approval to market Optune in Germany, Switzerland, Israel, Japan and certain other countries.  To date, we have focused on commercializing Optune in the United States, Germany, Switzerland, Israel and Japan, which we refer to collectively as our currently active markets.

In April 2017, we announced final analyses of the full 695 patient dataset with a median follow-up of 40 months from our phase 3 pivotal trial of Optune in combination with temozolomide for patients with newly diagnosed GBM. For patients treated with Optune in combination with temozolomide versus patients treated with temozolomide alone, the two-year survival rate increased from 30 percent to 43 percent and the five-year survival rate increased from five percent to 13 percent. These data further support our belief that Optune plus temozolomide is an essential combination treatment for patients with newly diagnosed GBM.

We continue to work with payers to expand access to Optune for patients with newly diagnosed and recurrent GBM. As of June 30, 2017, more than 204 million Americans have available coverage for the use of Optune for newly diagnosed and/or recurrent GBM. Additionally, we have signed contracts to establish Optune as an in-network benefit for more than 174 million American lives. The percentage of our U.S. active patient population who are beneficiaries of the Medicare fee-for-service program, which has denied coverage for our claims to date, continues to range from 20 to 25 percent.

In March 2017, we received Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (“MHLW”) approval for the second generation Optune system. In March 2017, we filed an application to request a defined reimbursement rate for Optune based on the December 2016 regulatory approval of Optune to treat newly diagnosed GBM.  We are currently in active reimbursement discussions with the MHLW and anticipate receiving feedback in the third quarter 2017.

We have researched the biological effects of TTFields extensively. Because TTFields are delivered regionally, act only on dividing cells (a biological process known as mitosis) and are frequency-tuned to target cells of a specific size, we believe there is minimal damage to healthy cells. We believe our pre-clinical and clinical research demonstrates that TTFields’ mechanism of action affects fundamental aspects of cell division and may have broad applicability across a variety of solid tumors. We have demonstrated in pre-clinical studies that TTFields can offer additive or synergistic benefits in combination with radiation, chemotherapy and immunotherapy, which may lead to greater efficacy than radiation, chemotherapy and immunotherapy alone, without significantly increasing the side effects when used in combination with other cancer treatments.

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We are currently planning or conducting clinical trials evaluating the use of TTFields in brain metastases, non-small-cell lung cancer (“NSCLC”), pancreatic cancer, ovarian cancer and mesothelioma. We anticipate expanding our clinical pipeline over time to study the safety and efficacy of TTFields for additional solid tumor indications. The table below presents the current status of our clinical pipeline.

In May 2017, we received humanitarian use device (HUD) designation for the use of TTFields for the treatment of pleural mesothelioma.  The HUD designation is the first step in obtaining a Humanitarian Device Exemption (HDE) for the treatment of pleural mesothelioma with TTFields.  An approved HDE would allow Novocure to market TTFields in combination with standard of care chemotherapy as a treatment for pleural mesothelioma in the United States.

We own all commercialization rights to TTFields in oncology. Our robust global patent and intellectual property portfolio consists of over 120 issued patents, with numerous additional patent applications pending worldwide. The patents have expected expiration dates between 2021 and 2035. We have also filed over 50 additional patent applications that, if issued, may protect aspects of our platform beyond 2035. We believe we will maintain exclusive rights to market TTFields for all solid tumor indications in our key markets through the life of our patents.

We were incorporated in the Bailiwick of Jersey in 2000.  Our U.S. operations are located in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Malvern, Pennsylvania, and New York City. Additionally, we have offices in Germany, Switzerland, Israel and Japan, and a research center in Israel.  We completed our initial public offering of our ordinary shares in October 2015.  Our ordinary shares are quoted on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “NVCR.”

Financial Overview. We expect to continue to incur significant expenses and operating losses for at least the next several years. We expect our research, development and clinical trials expenses to increase in connection with our ongoing activities, and as additional indications enter late-stage clinical development. In addition, we expect to incur significant commercialization expenses for product sales, marketing, manufacturing and distribution. We may need additional funding to support the continuation of our operating activities. Until we can generate substantial revenues (which may not occur), we expect to finance our cash needs through our existing cash, cash equivalents, short-term investments, equity issuances or additional debt, and possibly also from collaborations, strategic alliances, licensing arrangements and other marketing and distribution arrangements. We will need to generate significant revenues to achieve profitability, and we may never do so.

Critical accounting policies and estimates

In accordance with U.S. GAAP, in preparing our financial statements, we must make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities as of the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of net revenues and expenses during the reporting period. We develop and periodically change these estimates and assumptions based on historical experience and on various other factors that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results may differ from these estimates.

The critical accounting policies requiring estimates, assumptions and judgments that we believe have the most significant impact on our consolidated financial statements can be found in our 2016 10-K.  There have been no material changes to our critical accounting policies and estimates as compared to the critical accounting policies and estimates described in our 2016 10-K.

Results of Operations

We account for revenue when all revenue recognition criteria have been met or when cash is collected. Revenue recognized in a given period may include a mixture of accrued revenue, cash collections from amounts billed in prior periods and cash collections from amounts billed in the current period. We report certain operating statistics to provide additional insight into the commercial performance of Optune in our currently active markets.

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Prescriptions are a leading indicator of Optune demand. The conversion of prescriptions to new patients is driven by the prescription fill rate and the time to fill. In the twelve months ended June 30, 2017, our prescription fill rate was between 70-75%. The number of active patients on Optune is our principal revenue driver. Growth in the number of active patients is a factor of both new patient starts and treatment duration. Median treatment duration differs based upon the clinical diagnosis of the patient. For the three months ended June 30, 2017, more than 55% of prescriptions received were for patients with newly diagnosed GBM.

The following table includes certain commercial operating statistics for and as of the end of the periods presented.