The New Mechanistic Findings Support Can-Fite’s Ongoing Phase IIb Study Design Following Positive Phase IIa Results

Ramat Gan, Israel, Aug. 17, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --  Can-Fite BioPharma Ltd. (NYSE:CANF) (TASE: CANF), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a pipeline of proprietary small molecule drugs targeting oncological and inflammatory diseases, today announced new preclinical findings demonstrating that namodenoson enhances the anti-cancer effect of gemcitabine chemotherapy in pancreatic cancer. The findings provide mechanistic support for the design of Can-Fite’s planned Phase IIb study evaluating namodenoson in combination with gemcitabine and additional standard-of-care therapy in patients with advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

In pre-clinical studies the combination of namodenoson and gemcitabine increased the level of a protein, cleaved caspase-3, a central mediator of cell death (apoptosis). These findings indicate that namodenoson weakens the survival mechanisms of pancreatic cancer cells, thereby increasing their susceptibility to chemotherapy and enabling a stronger tumor cell-death response.

The new findings directly support the scientific rationale underlying Can-Fite’s planned randomized Phase IIb study in advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma. The proposed study will evaluate namodenoson in combination with gemcitabine and additional standard-of-care therapy, Nab-paclitaxel, building upon the favorable safety profile and encouraging clinical activity observed with namodenoson monotherapy in the Company’s Phase 2a pancreatic cancer study.