Can-Fite Expands Namodenoson anti-Obesity Franchise with Israeli Patent Allowance
Rhea-AI Summary
Can-Fite (NYSE:CANF) announced that the Israeli Patent Office allowed patent No. 284463 for the use of A3 adenosine receptor agonists, including Namodenoson, to induce fat loss and treat obesity. The allowance expands global IP after prior grants in the US, Canada and Australia.
The company cited a peer-reviewed International Journal of Obesity study supporting Namodenoson’s anti-obesity effect and noted the global obesity therapeutics market is projected at $60.5 billion by 2030 (CAGR ~22%).
Positive
- Israeli patent allowance dated March 17, 2026
- Patent covers Namodenoson use for fat loss and obesity
- Prior patent advancements in US, Canada, Australia
- Peer-reviewed study in International Journal of Obesity
- Market projection: $60.5B by 2030, CAGR ~22%
Negative
- None.
News Market Reaction – CANF
In the Mar 17 session, CANF declined 4.19%, reflecting a moderate negative market reaction.
Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.
Key Figures
Historical Context
| Date | Event | Sentiment | 24h Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 04 | Warrant exercise deal | Neutral | +20.4% | Inducement agreement for warrant exercises raising about $4.0M gross proceeds. |
| Mar 04 | Clinical safety data | Positive | +20.4% | Phase 2a pancreatic cancer study met primary safety endpoint with good tolerability. |
| Feb 17 | Obesity study publication | Positive | -2.6% | Peer-reviewed paper showed anti-obesity effects of namodenoson in preclinical models. |
| Feb 09 | Canadian patent allowance | Positive | +1.4% | Canadian notice of allowance for Namodenoson as an anti-obesity therapy. |
| Feb 05 | Compassionate-use case | Positive | +5.2% | Namodenoson-supported stabilization enabled successful liver transplant in cirrhosis patient. |
24h Move is the share-price change in the day after each event; other market factors may also have contributed.
Recent CANF news has mostly seen price moves align with event tone, though one prior obesity-focused publication drew a mild negative reaction despite positive content.
Over the past two months, CANF has reported multiple Namodenoson milestones, including Phase 2a safety success in advanced pancreatic cancer on Mar 4, 2026 and several obesity-related IP and publication updates. Capital-raising via warrant exercises around Mar 4–5, 2026 added funding flexibility. Most of these announcements, especially clinical and Canadian patent news, were followed by positive price reactions, while a February obesity publication saw a small decline. Today’s Israeli patent allowance extends that obesity IP theme.
Key Terms
a3 adenosine receptor medical
a3ar agonists medical
glp-1 receptor agonists medical
adipogenesis medical
cagr financial
AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
Strengthens global IP and supports strategic positioning in the rapidly growing metabolic therapeutics market
Ramat Gan, Israel, March 17, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Can-Fite BioPharma Ltd. (NYSE American: CANF) (TASE:CANF), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a pipeline of proprietary small molecule drugs targeting oncological and inflammatory diseases, today announced that the Israeli Patent Office has allowed its patent application No. 284463, titled “An A3 Adenosine Receptor Ligand for Use for Achieving a Fat Loss Effect.” The allowed patent covers the use of A3 adenosine receptor (A3AR) agonists, including the Company’s lead drug candidate Namodenoson, for inducing fat loss and treating obesity and related metabolic disorders.
This allowance represents a key addition to Can-Fite’s expanding global intellectual property portfolio around Namodenoson’s anti-obesity activity and follows similar patent advancements in other major jurisdictions including the US, Canada and Australia, strengthening the Company’s worldwide protection strategy. Recently the technology granted scientific recognition upon coming up with a breakthrough publication of peer-reviewed study in the International Journal of Obesity, demonstrating the anti-obesity effect of namodenoson (https://rdcu.be/e37sf ).
The global obesity therapeutics market is experiencing rapid growth, driven by increasing prevalence and the success of GLP-1 receptor agonists. However, current treatments are often associated with limitations including gastrointestinal side effects and high cost. Namodenoson, a highly selective A3AR agonist, offers a differentiated mechanism of action, targeting key pathways involved in adipogenesis, inflammation, and metabolic regulation. Preclinical and clinical studies have demonstrated its potential to reduce fat accumulation and improve metabolic profiles, positioning it as a promising candidate in the expanding obesity treatment landscape.
“With the allowance of this patent in Israel, we continue to build and strengthen our intellectual property portfolio around Namodenoson’s anti-obesity activity,” said Dr. Pnina Fishman, Chairperson and Chief Scientific Officer of Can-Fite. “Given the significant unmet need and rapid growth of the obesity market, we believe Namodenoson’s unique mechanism and established safety profile position it as an attractive candidate for development and potential partnering opportunities.”
The global obesity treatment market is projected to reach
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 III trial for advanced liver cancer, a Phase IIb trial for the treatment of Metabolic Dysfunction-associated Steatohepatitis (MASH), and in a Phase IIa study in pancreatic cancer. 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 III trial for psoriasis and is expected to commence a pivotal Phase III. Can-Fite's liver drug, Namodenoson, is being evaluated in a Phase III trial for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a Phase IIb trial for the treatment of MASH, and in 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.can-fite.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 April 14, 2025 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.
Contact
Can-Fite BioPharma
Motti Farbstein
+972-3-9241114
