Primary safety endpoint achieved; exploratory findings highlight encouraging survival outcomes in heavily pretreated patients One second-line patient achieved progression-free survival of 16.39 months and overall survival exceeding 20.7 months RAMAT GAN, Israel , Oct. 26, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Can-Fite BioPharma Ltd. (NYSE American: CANF) (TASE: CANF), a biotechnology company developing small molecule therapeutics targeting cancer and inflammatory diseases, today announced the presentation of final positive data from its Phase IIa clinical study of namodenoson in advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2026 in Madrid, Spain . As previously announced , the study achieved its primary safety endpoint, demonstrating that oral namodenoson was well tolerated in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer who had received prior systemic therapies. Exploratory analyses also identified encouraging survival outcomes, supporting further clinical development in this challenging disease. The single-center, open-label study enrolled 20 patients who received namodenoson at 25 mg twice daily. Fourteen patients received treatment in the third-line setting, three in the second-line setting, and three in the fourth-line setting. Key findings presented at ESMO included: Primary safety endpoint achieved: Only five adverse events in three patients were considered related or possibly related to namodenoson. All were mild to moderate, Grade 1–2, and none required dose modification, treatment interruption, or discontinuation. No Grade ≥3 treatment-related adverse events or treatment-related serious adverse events were reported. Encouraging third-line survival findings: In a post hoc exploratory analysis of eight third-line patients who survived beyond two months, median overall survival was 6.28 months and median progression-free survival was 2.27 months . Prolonged survival in an individual patient: One second-line patient achieved progression-free survival of 16.39 months and overall survival of 20.7 months , as of the September 23, 2026 data cutoff. The exploratory third-line analysis focused on patients who survived beyond two months to allow sufficient treatment exposure for evaluation. Because this subgroup was selected based on survival and the study had no randomized comparator, these findings are hypothesis-generating and support evaluation in a larger randomized study. “These final Phase IIa data provide an encouraging foundation for the continued development of namodenoson in pancreatic cancer,” said Prof. Salomon Stemmer , an oncology key opinion leader and Professor at the Davidoff Institute of Oncology , Rabin Medical Center , Israel “The favourable safety profile, together with the survival findings in heavily pretreated patients and the prolonged clinical course observed in an individual patient, supports advancing our clinical development program. Presenting these results at ESMO provides an important opportunity to share the findings with the international oncology community.” Namodenoson is an orally administered, selective agonist of the A₃ adenosine receptor, which is highly expressed in tumor and inflammatory cells. Its mechanism involves modulation of growth-regulatory signalling pathways, including Wnt/β-catenin and RAS-associated signalling, and promotion of tumor-cell apoptosis. The full scientific poster is reproduced below and is available as a downloadable PDF. About Namodenoson Namodenoson is a small orally bioavailable drug that binds with high affinity and selectivity to the A3 adenosine receptor (A3AR). Namodenoson is currently being evaluated in a pivotal Phase 3 trial for advanced liver cancer, concluded successfully a Phase 2a study in pancreatic cancer and is enrolling patients in a Phase 2b trial for the treatment of Metabolic Dysfunction-associated Steatohepatitis (MASH). A3AR is highly expressed in diseased cells whereas low expression is found in normal cells. This differential expression may be one of the important factors that 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 3 trial for psoriasis and commenced a pivotal Phase 3 trial. Can-Fite’s liver drug, Namodenoson, is being evaluated in a Phase III trial for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a Phase 2b trial for the treatment of MASH, and in a Phase 2a 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 co