Lantern Pharma, a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on leveraging artificial intelligence, machine learning and genomic data to streamline the drug development process and to identify the patients that will benefit from its targeted oncology therapies, has entered into agreements with several contract manufacturing companies for process development and manufacturing for two of Lantern’s oncology drug candidates, LP-300 and LP-184. The company also filed an 8-K on Thursday, July 16 describing a recent agreement for GMP manufacturing.
 
LP-300
 
Lantern’s LP-300 is a small molecule drug candidate currently in preparation to enter phase 2 clinical trials in a growing, but unaddressed, type of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) among never-smokers. Lantern aims to develop LP-300 as a potential first-in-class combination therapy for never smoking (or non-smoking) NSCLC patients with histologically defined adenocarcinoma.
 
NSCLC among never and non-smokers has a distinct molecular profile and according to the American Cancer Society, as many as 20% of people who die from lung cancer in the United States every year have never smoked or used any other form of tobacco. Leading researchers have started to classify lung cancer in never and non-smokers as having unique and distinct clinical, biological and pathological characteristics that have the potential to be impacted by new therapeutic options. According to market research, and data analytics firm, GlobalData, approximately $10 billion USD will be spent annually on NSCLC therapies in 2020 in the leading eight markets (by annual drug sales), with approximately $4 billion in the US.
 
LP-184
 
Lantern’s LP-184 is a small molecule drug candidate currently in preclinical development for certain genomically defined solid tumors that overexpress certain RNA, as well as for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Lantern says it is currently planning to enter a Phase 1 clinical trial with this drug candidate in late 2021 or early 2022, after finalizing further biomarker studies with leading researchers, and after completing IND-enabling studies.
 
Lantern estimates that, by 2025, potential annual sales for therapies in the genomically defined solid tumors targeted by LP-184 will be over $2.5 billion USD globally, and that potential annual sales for therapies to treat GBM will be nearly $1 billion globally.
 
Both molecules have been advanced using Lantern’s proprietary RADR A.I. platform. With nearly 500 million data points, the RADR A.I. platform uses machine learning techniques, genomics, and computational biology methods to accelerate drug development by accelerating the discovery of potential mechanisms of action and developing genomic and biomarker signatures that correlate to drug response in cancer patients. Both molecules, LP-300 and LP-184, are being developed with the vision of pairing them with companion diagnostics generated, in-part by RADR, to enable precision medicine trials and selection of patients with the highest probability of benefiting from the drug and offering the potential for best-in-class outcomes.
 
“The launch of manufacturing activities with our partners represents key steps in establishing a specialized global manufacturing network that can provide Lantern with critical scalability, flexibility and innovation to help maximize the impact of our capital resources and efficiently prepare our drug supply for our clinical trials and studies,” Panna Sharma, CEO and president of Lantern Pharma, stated. “These key capabilities are especially important now as we advance LP-300 and LP-184 towards commencement of clinical trials that can likely shape the timing and terms of potential future partnering discussions.”