Liver Cancer Patient Treated with Can-Fite’s Namodenoson Clears All Cancer Lesions Under Open Label Extension of Phase II Study

By: Can-Fite BioPharma Ltd. via Business Wire

December 20, 2021 at 07:00 AM EST

Pivotal Phase 3 Study to Commence Q1 2022

Can-Fite BioPharma Ltd. (NYSE American: CANF) (TASE: CFBI), a biotechnology company advancing a pipeline of proprietary small molecule drugs that address inflammatory, cancer and liver diseases, today announced that the last patient treated under an Open Label Extension program of its concluded Phase II study of Namodenoson in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common form of liver cancer, experienced a Complete Response (CR) to Can-Fite’s drug, meaning that all cancer lesions have cleared.

Under treatment with Namodenoson, the patient has now survived five years, during which time the clinical benefits of treatment have included the disappearance of ascites, normal liver function, and the disappearance of peritoneal carcinomatosis leading to complete clearance of all cancer lesions.

“Complete Response of HCC in an advanced stage is a rare but highly beneficial result in the field of liver cancer treatment. We are pleased that Namodenoson has contributed to the restored health and quality of life for this patient and family. It is our hope that our upcoming pivotal Phase III study will demonstrate Namodenoson’s efficacy in treating patients with similarly advanced HCC and thereby potentially offer longer survival to liver cancer patients across the world,” stated Can-Fite’s Medical Director Dr. Michael Silverman.

In the first quarter of 2022, Can-Fite expects to commence patient enrollment in its pivotal Phase III trial for Namodenoson in the treatment of patients with advanced HCC with underlying Child Pugh B7 (CPB7) cirrhosis to support a New Drug Application (NDA) submission and approval. Both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA) have agreed with the design of the 471-patient study. Namodenoson has Orphan Drug Designation for HCC in the U.S. and Europe, has Fast Track Status in the U.S., and is currently treating liver cancer patients through a compassionate use program in Israel.

About Namodenoson

Namodenoson is a small orally bioavailable drug that binds with high affinity and selectivity to the A3 adenosine receptor (A3AR). Namodenoson was evaluated in Phase II trials for two indications, as a second line treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma, and as a treatment for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). A3AR is highly expressed in diseased cells whereas low expression is found in normal cells. This differential effect accounts for the excellent safety profile of the drug.

About Can-Fite BioPharma Ltd.

Can-Fite BioPharma Ltd. (NYSE American: CANF) (TASE: CFBI) is an advanced clinical stage drug development Company with a platform technology that is designed to address multi-billion dollar markets in the treatment of cancer, liver, and inflammatory disease. The Company's lead drug candidate, Piclidenoson, is currently in a Phase III trial for psoriasis. Can-Fite's liver drug, Namodenoson, is headed into a Phase III trial for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common form of liver cancer, and a Phase IIb trial for the treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Namodenoson has been granted Orphan Drug Designation in the U.S. and Europe and Fast Track Designation as a second line treatment for HCC by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Namodenoson has also shown proof of concept to potentially treat other cancers including colon, prostate, and melanoma. CF602, the Company's third drug candidate, has shown efficacy in the treatment of erectile dysfunction. These drugs have an excellent safety profile with experience in over 1,500 patients in clinical studies to date. For more information please visit: www.can-fite.com.

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