Lantern Pharma Inc. announced it has received guidance from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Lantern's clinical development plans for its LP-184 program. LP-184 has shown nanomolar potency across a range of cancers including several solid tumors and multiple adult and pediatric central nervous system (CNS) cancers. The FDA feedback clears Lantern's path for an IND submission and the targeted initiation of a first-in-human clinical trial in second quarter 2023.

During fourth quarter 2022, the company requested a pre-investigational new drug (pre-IND) meeting with the FDA, requesting agency feedback in connection with its planned LP-184 IND application. The FDA's responses and guidance have been aligned with the company's clinical, CMC, and preclinical development plans and solidifies the company's timeline for an IND submission and clinical trial initiation in second quarter 2023. The upcoming LP-184 Phase 1 trial is expected to enroll patients with pancreatic cancer, select solid tumors with DNA damage repair deficiency, and malignant gliomas-including glioblastoma (GBM).

The FDA previously granted Lantern Orphan Drug Designations (ODD) for LP-184 in both pancreatic cancer and malignant gliomas. The upcoming LP-184 first-in-human Phase 1 trial is expected to include patients across a range of solid tumor types, including adult brain and central nervous system (CNS) cancers. CNS cancer patients have some of the lowest 5-year cancer survival rates and have had little to no meaningful treatment progress in nearly two decades.

LP-184's anti-tumor synthetic lethality mechanism of action, favorable blood brain permeability, and compelling pre-clinical efficacy for CNS cancers give it the potential to become the next generation standard-of-care agent for CNS cancer patients.