Roche's Genentech unit has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Jecure Therapeutics, obtaining full rights to the latter’s entire preclinical portfolio of NLRP3 inhibitors, Jecure announced Tuesday. Financial terms of the deal were not divulged.  

Jecure, which noted that "studies have linked cellular stress signals to the activation of NLRP3 inflammasomes in a wide range of inflammatory and autoimmune disorders" such as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and liver fibrosis, as well as in gout, inflammatory bowel disease and cardiovascular diseases, explained that it is focused on the discovery of novel therapeutics for the treatment of NASH and liver fibrosis, with assets currently in preclinical development. 

"We've had a long-standing interest in targeting inflammatory pathways that may play a role in a number of serious diseases," stated James Sabry, global head of pharma partnering at Roche, continuing "we're excited to combine Jecure's portfolio with our discovery and development capabilities, as well as our expertise in NLRP3 biology, to potentially help people with inflammatory diseases." 

The news comes after Novartis and Pfizer agreed to jointly develop combination regimens for the treatment of NASH. For related analysis, see ViewPoints: Pharma stays on for the NASH party.