BUSINESS WIRE
The Agreement Was Signed Based on Positive Data Generated at Leading Lab at the National Eye Institute (NEI) at the NIH
A Successful Collaboration Will Prompt Can-Fite to the Conductance of a Phase II Clinical Trial to Test the Efficacy of CF101 in the Treatment of Uveitis
Uveitis is an Inflammatory Disease That Involves the Internal Parts of the Eye; It Affects about 1 Million People Worldwide and Its Current Market is Estimated at about Half a Billion Dollars
Can-Fite BioPharma (TASE:CFBI), a biotechnology company traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, announced today the successful completion of a preclinical trial with CF101 in the treatment of uveitis. This preliminary trial was conducted in a leading laboratory at the National Eye Institute (NEI), which is part of the US National Institute of Health (NIH). The trial, which examined the effect of CF101 in a preclinical animal model, demonstrated that the drug was able to significantly reduce ocular disease symptoms via a definitive immunological mechanism of action.
Can-Fite signed an M-CRADA with the NIH to expand the preclinical studies and further explore the efficacy of CF101 in the treatment of uveitis.
Uveitis is an inflammatory disease that involves the internal parts of the eye. This disease can lead to severe pain and partial or complete vision loss. In some cases, uveitis is associated with other autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and Behcet's disease. A review of scientific literature reveals that uveitis affects about 1 million people worldwide, with 70,000 new diagnoses made annually in the US alone. Current market is estimated at about half a billion dollars.
Uveitis is the second ophtalmology indication of Can-Fite. A phase II clinical trial in patients with dry eye syndrome is currently conducted in leading medical centers in Israel.
Prof. Pnina Fishman, CEO of Can-Fite, said today that "the current standard of care for patients with uveitis is steroids and general immunosuppression therapy. The lack of specific drugs for the treatment of this condition creates a need for novel targeted therapies such as the products Can-Fite develops."
CAN-FITE BIOPHARMA LTD is a public company traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. The Company, which commenced business activity in 2000, was founded by Prof. Pnina Fishman, an investigator from Rabin Medical Center, and patent attorney Dr. Ilan Cohn, a senior associate at Reinhold Cohn Patent Attorneys. Prof. Pnina Fishman serves as the CEO of Can-Fite. The Company was founded on the basis of scientific findings made by Prof. Pnina Fishman and focuses on the development of molecule-based drugs that bind to receptors of cancerous or inflammatory cells and inhibit their development.
Can-Fite's development pipeline currently has two drugs, CF101 and CF102. The company is simultaneously conducting several preclinical and clinical trials with the two drugs for various indications. CF101 is being studied for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, dry eye syndrome and psoriasis. Can-Fite has also entered the development of CF102 for the treatment of liver cancer, including liver cancer, hepatitis virus infections and liver tissue regeneration.