Benzinga | Mar 30, 2021 08:31AM EDT

Lantheus Acquires Rights To Develop, Manufacture And Commercialize NTI-1309; Financial Details Not Disclosed

Lantheus Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LNTH) (Lantheus), an established leader and fully integrated provider of innovative imaging diagnostics, targeted therapeutics and artificial intelligence solutions to Find, Fight and Follow serious medical conditions, announced today it has acquired the exclusive, worldwide rights to develop, manufacture and commercialize NTI-1309, an innovative PET oncology imaging agent from Noria Therapeutics, Inc.

NTI-1309 targets fibroblast activation protein (FAP), a target with potential broad imaging applicability and targeting implications in oncology. FAP is overexpressed in the tumor microenvironment, specifically in tumor-associated fibroblasts, which are believed to modulate tumor progression and immune response. Given its expression in tumors coupled with low expression in normal tissue, FAP has the potential to become an important biomarker for precision medicine in cancer. Already a focus of significant research by academics and the pharmaceutical industry, a FAP biomarker has potential to address unmet medical needs and to impact the clinical management of stroma-dense tumors, such as breast, colon, lung and pancreatic cancer.

Under terms of the agreement, Noria will drive the early clinical development of NTI-1309, leveraging its experience with early-stage imaging development. Upon completion of the Phase 1 study, NTI-1309 will be integrated into Lantheus' portfolio of imaging biomarkers and included in the offering to academic centers and pharmaceutical companies for use in oncology drug development programs. Simultaneously, Lantheus will assess options for bringing this important biomarker to market through Lantheus-sponsored trials.