Lantern Pharma Granted Japanese Patent for Drug Candidate LP-284

Lantern Pharma Inc., an AI-driven company specializing in the development of targeted cancer therapies, has announced that the Japan Patent Office (JPO) has granted a Certificate of Patent for its drug candidate LP-284. This patent, titled “Illudin Analogs, Uses Thereof, and Methods for Synthesizing the Same,” is significant as it covers the molecular structure and composition of LP-284. The patent was issued after JPO's thorough examinations validated its merit, enhancing the drug's intellectual property protection.

LP-284 is currently undergoing a Phase 1 clinical trial. It was created using insights from Lantern's proprietary AI platform, RADR®, which is designed to aid in the development of oncology drugs. The trial aims to evaluate LP-284 as a treatment for relapsed or refractory non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) and specific genomically defined sarcomas.

CEO and President of Lantern Pharma, Panna Sharma, highlighted the importance of the newly issued patent, stating that it solidifies the future commercial prospects of LP-284. He emphasized that this not only benefits patients with unmet needs in non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas but also showcases the efficacy of Lantern's AI technologies in accelerating novel cancer therapy developments.

In addition to the new Japanese patent, Lantern Pharma had previously secured a similar patent from the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in April 2023. The US patent is valid until early 2039. Lantern Pharma is also anticipating comparable patent approvals in Europe, China, Australia, Canada, and Korea, further expanding the drug's global intellectual property footprint.

In the U.S., LP-284 has already made notable progress. The FDA granted clearance for an investigational new drug (IND) application for LP-284, leading to the initiation of a Phase 1 clinical trial. This trial includes patients with various forms of NHL, such as mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) and double-hit lymphoma (DHL), along with other high-grade B-cell lymphomas and select solid tumors and sarcomas. As of mid-March 2024, the first two patients have already been dosed in this trial.

MCL alone accounts for approximately 5,800 NHL cases annually in Japan, and combined with DHL, these conditions affect around 9,000 patients each year in the U.S. and Europe. Most patients diagnosed with MCL experience relapse post-treatment, and LP-284 presents a promising new therapeutic option for these recurrent cases.

Furthermore, LP-284 has been granted Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) by the U.S. FDA for the treatment of high-grade B-cell lymphoma (HGBL) and MCL. This designation is significant as it is the second time Lantern Pharma has received such recognition from the FDA. Another of Lantern's drug candidates, LP-184, which is in clinical development for treating malignant gliomas, pancreatic cancer, and atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumors (ATRT), has also received ODD from the FDA, along with a Rare Pediatric Disease Designation.

Lantern Pharma is known for leveraging its AI and machine learning platform, RADR®, to revolutionize oncology drug discovery and development. The platform utilizes over 60 billion oncology-focused data points and more than 200 advanced machine learning algorithms. This technological backbone has allowed Lantern to accelerate its drug development timeline, taking new drug programs from initial AI-driven insights to first-in-human clinical trials in just 2-3 years and at a cost of approximately $1.0 - 2.5 million per program.

Lantern Pharma's pipeline includes several clinical-stage drug programs aimed at treating both solid tumors and blood cancers. The company's AI-driven approach has the potential to offer transformative therapies to tens of thousands of cancer patients globally, with an estimated combined annual market potential exceeding $15 billion USD. In addition, Lantern Pharma has established a subsidiary, Starlight Therapeutics, focused on clinical execution of therapies for central nervous system and brain cancers, addressing areas with limited treatment options.