A Pioneering Compound Treatment for IPF

Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive, fatal, age-associated lung disease with a median survival from diagnosis of 2-4 years. IPF is characterized by progressive tissue scarring that prevents proper lung function.

Current treatments only slow the decline of lung function and have demonstrated significant side-effects and intolerance. There is a clear need for better therapies for IPF, ones that will not only slow down the disease, but will address the underlying causes and improve lung function.

LTI-03

Lung Therapeutics is developing LTI-03 for the treatment of IPF. LTI-03 has a unique mechanism, one aspect of which involves inhibiting the formation of scar-like material in the lungs. More importantly, however, this mechanism also promotes protection of critical cells in the lungs which are believed to be vital in improving and restoring healthy lung function. 

LTI-03 is a peptide representing an important region of the Caveolin 1 (Cav1) protein.  Cav1 normally provides a critical function in the prevention of fibrosis by maintaining a balance between pathways that both initiate and halt lung repair and cell movement. In IPF, the normal function of Cav1 is lost, resulting in an imbalance in cells and the development of fibrosis. Preclinical studies have shown that LTI-03 acts to restore balance in the lung, promoting survival of cells capable of producing healthy lung tissue, and also stopping production of scar-like material.  Restoring the balance of important biological signals in the lung may not only slow the progress of the disease but could also restore healthy lung function. LTI-03 represents the potential for improvement in the projected outcome for IPF patients.

Phase 1a

LTI-03 is currently in a healthy volunteer Phase 1 clinical trial.

LTI-03 has been assessed in a first-in-human, dose escalation, safety study in healthy volunteers. LTI-03 was administered once or twice a day for up to 14-consecutive days. Dose levels from 2.5 mg to 10 mg appeared to be safe and well tolerated with no reports of discontinuations or serious adverse events.

Current Status

LTI-03 is about to commence a Phase 1b, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study evaluating LTI-03 in patients who have been recently diagnosed with IPF. A short (<2 minutes) presentation to outline the mode of action and the study design can be found here: