Can-Fite Wins Patent, Shares Flat

Can-Fite BioPharma Ltd. (NYSE: CANF), shares barely budged Monday as the biotechnology company advancing a pipeline of proprietary small molecule drugs that address oncological and inflammatory diseases, announced that its lead drug candidate Namodenoson was granted a patent for its use as an anti-obesity drug by the U.S. patent office. Namodenoson is currently being developed for the treatment of Metabolic Dysfunction-associated Steatohepatitis (MASH), advanced liver cancer and pancreatic cancer. In all clinical studies that have been conducted, Namodenoson had a very favorable safety profile when administered orally.The patent application covers methods of treating obese patients by administering Namodenoson in an oral formulation. Can-Fite has already multiple approved patents and corresponding applications in a variety of territories around the world, for different clinical applications of the drug.The anti-obesity patent application is based on data demonstrating that treatment of fat cells with Namodenoson reduced fat levels via the increase of the hormone adiponectin, a regulator of fat production in the body. Namodenoson also reduced body weight in an experimental animal model of obesity, induced by high fat diet. In a MASH Phase IIa study, in patients treated with Namodenoson, a 2.3% weight loss has been observed after 3 months with a significant increase in serum adiponectin levels.CANF shares grabbed a penny to $1.57.