Oncology firm Novocure says cyberattack exposed US patient records

Sept 1 (Reuters) - Oncology ‌company Novocure ​said ​on Tuesday a cybersecurity incident involving unauthorized access to certain information ‌systems in mid-August exposed internal records of ⁠more than 1,400 U.S. patients.

The breach adds to ‌a growing number of ‌cyberattacks on the healthcare sector, including medical device makers Abbott, Stryker Medtronic and Boston ​Scientific, drugmaker Novo Nordisk and drug-delivery equipment supplier West Pharmaceutical Services.

Here are some ⁠more details:

• Novocure said it activated its cybersecurity response plan, ​implemented containment measures and initiated an internal investigation of the event.

• The exposed ​data included internal company ‌patient ID numbers and general contact information for healthcare providers the ⁠company works with and for Novocure employees such as their job titles and phone numbers.

• Data ⁠for fewer than 50 other patients in the ​western U.S. that included additional identifying information was also exposed.

• The company said access to its medical ‌treatment devices was not obtained, and that all its systems are fully ‌functional.

• Novocure does not expect this cybersecurity ⁠incident to have ‌a material impact ​on its financials.

(Reporting by Sneha S K in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi ‌Majumdar)

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