Ramat Gan, Israel — August 17, 2026
Can-Fite BioPharma Ltd. announced new preclinical findings showing that namodenoson enhanced the anti-cancer effect of gemcitabine in pancreatic cancer models, providing additional mechanistic support for the company’s planned Phase IIb development program in advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma. The findings showed that combining namodenoson with gemcitabine increased levels of cleaved caspase-3, an important mediator of programmed cancer-cell death known as apoptosis. According to Can-Fite, the results suggest that namodenoson may interfere with survival mechanisms in pancreatic cancer cells and increase their susceptibility to chemotherapy. The company plans to evaluate namodenoson in combination with gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel in a randomized Phase IIb study, building on encouraging findings from its earlier Phase IIa pancreatic cancer study.
Namodenoson Enhances Gemcitabine Activity
The newly reported laboratory findings focus on the potential interaction between namodenoson and gemcitabine, a chemotherapy commonly used in pancreatic cancer treatment. In preclinical experiments, the combination increased the level of cleaved caspase-3 compared with chemotherapy alone, suggesting a stronger activation of apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells. This mechanistic observation provides a scientific rationale for investigating namodenoson as a potential chemotherapy combination partner rather than evaluating the investigational drug only as a standalone treatment. However, the findings are currently based on preclinical research and therefore do not establish that the combination will produce the same effect in patients. Can-Fite intends to test the strategy clinically through its planned Phase IIb study in advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma, with the goal of determining whether the biological findings can translate into meaningful clinical activity.
Can-Fite Advances Planned Phase IIb Study
The new findings directly support the design of Can-Fite’s planned Phase IIb pancreatic cancer study, which is expected to evaluate namodenoson together with gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel as standard-of-care chemotherapy. The development strategy follows results from the company’s Phase IIa study of namodenoson in advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma, where the company reported a favorable safety profile and encouraging clinical activity. Clinical results from that Phase IIa study have also been accepted for presentation at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2026. The upcoming Phase IIb program represents the next clinical step for namodenoson in pancreatic cancer and is intended to provide more rigorous evidence regarding the potential benefit of combining the drug with established chemotherapy.
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Namodenoson Targets A3 Adenosine Receptor
Namodenoson is an orally bioavailable small-molecule drug candidate designed to selectively bind the A3 adenosine receptor (A3AR). Can-Fite is developing the drug across several disease areas, including oncology and metabolic disease. The company states that A3AR is highly expressed in diseased cells while showing relatively low expression in normal cells, a biological characteristic that it believes may contribute to namodenoson’s safety profile. Beyond pancreatic cancer, namodenoson is being evaluated in a Phase 3 study for advanced liver cancer and a Phase 2b study for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH). The pancreatic cancer program therefore forms part of a broader development strategy for the compound. The latest data remain preclinical, and additional clinical evidence will be required to establish whether namodenoson can meaningfully improve outcomes when added to chemotherapy.
Source: Can-Fite BioPharma press relese
