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FDA Grants Orphan Drug Designation to Can-Fite's Namodenoson for Pancreatic Cancer

Key Takeaway: Can-Fite BioPharma has announced that its drug candidate Namodenoson has been granted Orphan Drug Designation by the FDA for treating pancreatic cancer. This designation may provide the company with seven years of market exclusivity and various regulatory benefits. Can-Fite is preparing for a Phase II study to investigate the safety and efficacy of Namodenoson in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer who have previously undergone treatment. The company aims to initiate this trial by the end of the year.

Market Sentiment Analysis

POSITIVE FACTORS

  • Namodenoson has received Orphan Drug Designation from the FDA, opening up potential market exclusivity.
  • The upcoming Phase II study aims to evaluate the drug's safety and clinical activity in treating pancreatic cancer.
  • The company is advancing its clinical development plans and expresses optimism about starting the study soon.

Full Press Release Details

FDA Grants Orphan Drug Designation to Can-Fite's
Namodenoson for Pancreatic Cancer
RAMAT GAN, Israel, Oct. 09, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Can-Fite BioPharma
Ltd. (NYSE American: CANF) (TASE: CANF), a biotechnology company advancing a pipeline of proprietary small molecule drugs that address
oncological and inflammatory diseases, today announced the Company's oncology drug candidate, Namodenoson, has been granted Orphan
Drug Designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the indication of pancreatic cancer, one of the most aggressive malignancies.
The designation as an orphan drug will provide among others, potential for market exclusivity for seven years after approval and several
Can-Fite is now completing all the preparatory work for a Phase II
study in patients with pancreatic cancer. The study will be a multicenter open-label trial in patients with advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma
whose disease has progressed on at least 1st-line therapy. The trial will evaluate the safety, clinical activity, and pharmacokinetics
(PK) of Namodenoson in this patient population. All patients will receive oral Namodenoson 25 mg, administered twice daily for consecutive
28-day cycles. Patients will be evaluated regularly for safety. Approximately 20 evaluable patients will be enrolled. The primary objective
of this trial is to characterize the safety profile of Namodenoson, and the secondary objective is to evaluate the clinical activity as
determined by the Objective Response Rate (ORR) using Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST 1.1), Progression-Free Survival
(PFS), Disease Control Rate (DCR), Duration of Response (DoR), and Overall Survival (OS).
"We are advancing our plans to start our
Phase 2 study in pancreatic cancer and aim to commence the study by the end of year; we are thrilled that the FDA has granted Orphan Drug
Status," stated Can-Fite CEO Motti Farbstein".
Namodenoson is a small orally bioavailable drug
that binds with high affinity and selectivity to the A3 adenosine receptor (A3AR), on the surface of liver and pancreatic cancer cells.
Namodenoson, induces apoptosis of these cancer cell types. Namodenoson was evaluated in Phase II liver cancer 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: CANF) 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 recently
reported topline results in a Phase III trial for psoriasis. Can-Fite's liver drug, Namodenoson, is being evaluated in a Phase IIb
trial for the treatment of NASH a Phase III trial for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and the Company is planning a Phase IIa study in
pancreatic cancer. 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 1,600 patients in clinical studies to date.
For more information please visit: www.canfite.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release may contain forward-looking
statements, about Can-Fite's expectations, beliefs or intentions regarding, among other things, its product development efforts,
business, financial condition, results of operations, strategies or prospects. All statements in this communication, other than those
relating to historical facts, are "forward looking statements". Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of
forward-looking words such as "believe," "expect," "intend," "plan," "may,"
"should" or "anticipate" or their negatives or other variations of these words or other comparable words or by
the fact that these statements do not relate strictly to historical or current matters. Forward-looking statements relate to anticipated
or expected events, activities, trends or results as of the date they are made. Because forward-looking statements relate to matters that
have not yet occurred, these statements are inherently subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause
Can-Fite's actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements
expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements
to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements include, among other things, our history of losses and
needs for additional capital to fund our operations and our inability to obtain additional capital on acceptable terms, or at all; uncertainties
of cash flows and inability to meet working capital needs; the initiation, timing, progress and results of our preclinical studies, clinical
trials and other product candidate development efforts; our ability to advance our product candidates into clinical trials or to successfully
complete our preclinical studies or clinical trials; our receipt of regulatory approvals for our product candidates, and the timing of
other regulatory filings and approvals; the clinical development, commercialization and market acceptance of our product candidates; our
ability to establish and maintain strategic partnerships and other corporate collaborations; the implementation of our business model
and strategic plans for our business and product candidates; the scope of protection we are able to establish and maintain for intellectual
property rights covering our product candidates and our ability to operate our business without infringing the intellectual property rights
of others; competitive companies, technologies and our industry; risks related to any resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic and the war
between Israel and Hamas; risks related to not satisfying the continued listing requirements of NYSE American; and statements as to the
impact of the political and security situation in Israel on our business. More information on these risks, uncertainties and other factors
is included from time to time in the "Risk Factors" section of Can-Fite's Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the
SEC on March 28, 2024 and other public reports filed with the SEC and in its periodic filings with the TASE. Existing and prospective
investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. Can-Fite
undertakes no obligation to publicly update or review any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments
or otherwise, except as may be required by any applicable securities laws.

Frequently Asked Questions

What drug received FDA Orphan Drug Designation for pancreatic cancer?

Namodenoson from Can-Fite BioPharma received the designation.

What is the main goal of the Phase II study for Namodenoson?

The study aims to evaluate the safety and clinical activity of Namodenoson.

How long can market exclusivity last for Orphan Drug Designation?

Market exclusivity can last for seven years after approval.

What specific cancer type is Namodenoson targeting?

Namodenoson targets pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

How is Namodenoson administered in clinical trials?

It is given orally at 25 mg, twice daily for 28-day cycles.

Last updated: Oct 9, 2024