Necrosulfonamide is a potent and highly specific and potent necrosis inhibitor which blocks mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein (MLKL). Through blocking the activity of MLKL's N-terminal CC domain, necrosulfonamide prevents MLKL-mediated necrosis. It prevents necrosis from occurring after RIP3 activation. Even at a 5 μM concentration, necrosulfonamide has no impact on the apoptosis that TNF-α plus Smac mimetic induces in Panc-1 cells that do not express RIP3. The programmed necrosis (necroptosis) pathway uses the receptor-interacting serine-threonine kinase 3 (RIP3) as a key signaling molecule. This pathway is crucial for the development, tissue damage response, and antiviral immunity of many physiological and pathological conditions.