An Israeli pharmaceutical firm could be the next big producer of erectile dysfunction treatments. Petah Tikvah-based Can-Fite announced Tuesday that the US Patent and Trademark Office (one of the last stages before the actual granting of a patent) issued a Notice of Allowance for the company’s “A3 Adenosine Receptor Allosteric Modulators,” a method which acts on G protein–coupled receptors to regulate the behavior of receptors that interact with adenosine, which control cell proliferation, nerve cell activity, and other functions. The patent is being issued for all of Can-Fite’s “proprietary A3 Adenosine Receptor (A3AR) modulator therapy, including the preparation of its pharmaceutical compositions and its use in patients across all therapeutic indication.” The company’s latest project involves “developing this invention for the treatment of sexual dysfunction with its next-generation drug, CF602.” In research on the effects of adenosine on diabetes (using rats as subjects), Can-Fite researchers saw that the treatment they were giving to diabetic rats was having another effect on them – the male rats, that is. As a result, a new use was found for the company’s proprietary A3 Adenosine Receptor (A3AR) modulator. The research being done by Can-Fite and other groups focuses on the effects on the body of adenosine in general, and A3 adenosine receptors (A3AR) – one of four adenosine receptors in the body – specifically. Research has shown that there is a connection between the over-expression of A3AR in cells affected by diseases like leukemia, lymphoma, astrocytoma, melanoma, and several types of tumors. Much more work is needed before an Israeli product takes its place on pharmacy shelves beside Cialis, Levitra, and Viagra. But when that does happen, Can-Fite will be tapping into a market that will be worth $2.6 billion by 2018. With just three ED drugs on the market right now, according to health industry analytics firm GlobalData, there is plenty of room for a fourth. According to Can-Fite CEO Dr. Pnina Fishman, “there is a clear and unmet need for a new sexual dysfunction drug that safely and more effectively treats erectile dysfunction in men with diabetes.”