Cardiff Oncology, Inc. (NASDAQ: CRDF) announced on September 14, 2026, that it has resolved a patent and licensing dispute with Nerviano Medical Sciences, S.r.l. (NMS) through a Confidential Settlement Agreement and Release. The litigation, filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California, concerned inventorship of certain patents and performance under a 2017 license agreement. Under the settlement, both parties agreed to dismiss the litigation with prejudice and exchange mutual releases of claims. Neither party admitted liability, and no monetary payments were exchanged.
Concurrent with the settlement, the companies entered into an amendment to their 2017 Exclusive License Agreement. The amendment establishes an updated exclusivity framework, revised royalty tiers, and development milestone obligations related to Cardiff’s upcoming Phase 3 program for onvansertib. The agreement also includes a provision where the Company would owe NMS a percentage of transaction proceeds if the License Agreement is assigned before Phase III data is read out. Additionally, Nerviano secured a board observer seat and a seat on Cardiff’s Scientific Advisory Board.
Onvansertib is a PLK1 inhibitor currently advancing toward a registrational trial in first-line RAS-mutated metastatic colorectal cancer. The companies stated that the amendment strengthens Cardiff’s long-term rights to the drug candidate.
