CRO

Pinnacle completes purchase of South Texas Research Institute with focus on NASH

Pinnacle Clinical Research, part of the LongueVue Capital portfolio, completed its acquisition of the South Texas Research Institute (STRI), which is known for its clinical research of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

The deal gives Pinnacle access to six standalone and dedicated sites operated by Edinburg, Texas-based STRI, which also specializes in hepatology with a focus on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in addition to NASH. STRI operates two NASH enrollment sites in the U.S. and has focused on diversifying its patient populations in the clinically underserved Rio Grande Valley.

Financial details of the deal weren’t disclosed.

Rashmee Patil, M.D., founder and chief executive of STRI, has been named chief executive of the combined business.

"STRI has demonstrated success enrolling diverse patient populations and is predominately focused on the Hispanic demographic who are historically underrepresented in clinical trials," Stephen Harrison, M.D., Pinnacle’s chairman, said in the release.

Harrison was the principal investigator of a phase 3 study of Madrigal Pharmaceuticals’ NASH treatment resmetirom, which in December hit both liver histological improvement endpoints the FDA had proposed as reasonably likely to predict clinical benefit.