Inflazome is a pioneering inflammasome company developing orally available NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitors to address clinical unmet needs across a wide variety of inflammatory diseases
• Acquisition gives Roche full rights to the Inflazome portfolio
• Activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome in the body is implicated in many diseases caused by chronic, uncontrolled inflammation
• Inflazome shareholders received €380 million upfront, and are eligible to receive additional milestone payments
Naarden, The Netherlands 21 September 2020: Forbion, a leading European life sciences venture capital firm, notes that its portfolio company Inflazome announced today that it has closed a share purchase agreement with Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY). Inflazome’s shareholders have received an upfront payment of €380 million and are eligible to receive additional contingent payments to be made based on the achievement of certain predetermined milestones.
Inflazome was founded in 2016 by leading medical researchers Prof Matt Cooper (University of Queensland, Australia) and Prof Luke O’Neill (Trinity College Dublin, Ireland). The company is a leader in the development of inflammasome inhibitors.
The acquisition gives Roche full rights to Inflazome’s entire portfolio which is composed of clinical and preclinical orally available small molecule NLRP3 inhibitors. Roche intends to further develop NLRP3 inhibitors across a wide variety of indications with high unmet medical need.
Matt Cooper, Chief Executive Officer, Inflazome, commented “We are delighted to close this deal with Roche, an outstanding pharmaceutical company with a broad commitment to multiple indications. With Inflazome now part of the Roche organization, Inflazome’s pioneering drugs are well positioned to be developed quickly and effectively so they can help patients suffering from debilitating diseases.”
Marco Boorsma, General Partner, Forbion, said “Having been the lead investor in Inflazome’s Series B fundraising in 2018, we are pleased to see this deal closed with Roche, a trusted partner, which leaves the Company well-positioned to unlock the potential of its NLRP3 inhibitors. We believe this transaction reflects well on the Forbion team to help companies grow and develop, and delivering excellent returns to our funds. We are delighted to have been part of Inflazome’s journey and will follow the development of Inflazome‘s promising compounds with great interest.”
Lazard acted as financial advisor and Goodwin Procter and Byrne Wallace acted as legal counsel to Inflazome.
For more information please contact:
Forbion contact:
Marco Boorsma, General Partner
P: +31 (35) 699 3000
Instinctif Partners for Forbion
Melanie Toyne-Sewell/Phillip Marriage/Kiki Zaccagnini
Email: forbion@instinctif.com
Notes to Editors
About Forbion
Forbion is a dedicated life sciences venture capital firm with offices in The Netherlands, Germany and Singapore. Forbion invests in life sciences companies that are active in the (bio-) pharmaceutical space. Forbion’s investment team has built an impressive performance track record since the late nineties with successful investments in over 66 companies. Forbion manages well over EUR 1.25 billion across ten funds.
Forbion is a signatory to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment. Besides financial objectives, Forbion selects investments that will positively affect the health and well-being of patients.
Its investors include the EIF, through its European Recovery Programme (ERP), LfA, Dutch Venture Initiative (DVI), AMUF and EFSI facilities and KfW Capital through the Programme, “ERP – Venture Capital Fondsinvestments”.
Forbion operates a joint venture with BGV, the manager of seed and early-stage funds, especially focused on Benelux and Germany.
For more information, please visit: www.forbion.com.
About Inflazome
Inflazome is a biotech company leading the development of orally available drugs to address clinical unmet needs in inflammatory diseases by targeting inflammasomes. Inflammasomes are understood to drive many chronic inflammatory conditions, from Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s to asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, arthritis and NASH. Inflazome has a portfolio of orally available small molecule NLRP3 inhibitors, with lead molecules having successfully completed Phase I clinical trials, as well as several high potential earlier-stage programmes.
Inflazome has raised €55m in Venture Capital financing from leading investors Forbion, Longitude Capital, Fountain Healthcare Partners and Novartis Venture Fund.
Inflazome is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland.
About the NLRP3 Inflammasome
Activated NLRP3 acts as a ‘danger sensor’ in the body to release the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-18 and induce uncontrolled, lytic cell death (pyroptosis). These processes lead to chronic inflammation, and as such, NLRP3 has been implicated in a large number of diseases.
