Can-Fite : Namodenoson inhibits pancreatic cancer growth in pre-clinical studies

Can-Fite BioPharma announced that its study titled “Namodenoson Inhibits the Growth of Pancreatic Carcinoma via De-regulation of the Wnt/ss-catenin Signaling Pathway” has been accepted for a poster presentation at the AACR Special Conference on Pancreatic Cancer, held from September 27-30 , in Boston, Massachusetts. The pre-clinical studies presented in the poster used advanced pancreatic carcinoma patient cells that were treated with Namodenoson both in tissue cultures and in in vivo studies. Namodenoson treatment resulted in a significant growth inhibition and de-regulation of two signal transduction pathways, the Wnt and the KRAS, both of which are responsible for the etiology and pathology of this devastating disease. Can-Fite completed the development of an exploratory Phase II protocol in patients with pancreatic carcinoma who have failed first line treatment and plans to shortly submit it for approval to medical sites in Israel and the U.S. Safety and efficacy endpoints including objective response, progression-free survival, duration of response, disease control, and overall survival will be monitored. “The robust inhibition of pancreatic carcinoma growth both in vitro and in vivo, together with the definitive mechanism of action is a strong basis for evaluating Namodenoson in patients with pancreatic carcinoma where chemotherapeutic drugs have a very limited effect. We are very happy that the AACR granted us the opportunity to present these encouraging data and to discuss the very important results with the leading global experts in this field,” stated Prof. Pnina Fishman, CSO & Executive Chairman of Can-Fite…Namodenoson was evaluated in Phase 2 trials for two indications, as a second line treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma HCC , and as a treatment for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease NAFLD and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis NASH . It is currently in a Phase 2b trial for steatotic liver disease and a pivotal Phase 3 for HCC. Namodenoson is a small orally bioavailable drug that binds with high affinity and selectivity to the A3 adenosine recepto A3AR. 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.