ISRAEL'S CAN-FITE TO DEVELOP TREATMENT FOR LIVER CANCER

Israeli drugmaker Can-Fite BioPharma announced that the second drug in its pipeline, CF102, will be developed for treatment of liver cancer. The company is currently conducting the initial work that will support the initiation of Phase I clinical trials in toward the end of 2007.

Preclinical trials conducted by the company have shown that CF102 performs well in the inhibition of liver cancer in animal models. In addition, it was found that the A3 adenosine receptor, which is the drug target, is overexpressed in liver cancer tumors. Chemotherapy treatments, which are effective for other cancerous diseases, have little effect on liver cancer, according to the company.

In addition to CF102, Can-Fite is developing its first drug, CF101, for three medical indications in the field of inflammatory diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, dry eye syndrome and psoriasis. Additionally, the company recently announced that it has entered into an exclusive license agreement with Japanese pharmaceutical company Seikagaku to develop and market CF101 in Japan for the treatment of selected inflammatory conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis.