Novartis, a Swiss multinational pharmaceutical company, acquired IFM Tre, a subsidiary of IFM Therapeutics focused on developing anti-inflammatory medicines targeting the NLRP3 inflammasome, for $1.6bn. "IFM Tre's compounds have demonstrated that they can fine-tune the immune system, offering a potentially potent approach for treating a large variety of diseases associated with inflammation," said Jay Bradner, President of the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research. "We look forward to applying our deep expertise in this field to advancing these medicines through the clinic and to patients who need them.