Press Release

SAN FRANCISCO, April 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Nektar Therapeutics (Nasdaq: NKTR) will announce its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2012 on Wednesday, May 2, 2012, after the close of U.S.-based financial markets. Howard Robin, president and chief executive officer, will host a conference call to provide a general business update and review the first quarter results beginning at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time/2:00 p.m. Pacific Time .

The press release and a live audio-only Webcast of the conference call can be accessed through a link that is posted on the home page and Investor Relations section of the Nektar website: http://www.nektar.com. The web broadcast of the conference call will be available for replay through Saturday, June 2, 2012.

An audio replay will also be available shortly following the call through Saturday, June 2, 2012 and can be accessed by dialing (888) 286-8010 (U.S.); or (617) 801-6888 (international) with a passcode of 29485870.

About Nektar

Nektar Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics based on its PEGylation and advanced polymer conjugation technology platforms.  Nektar has a robust R&D pipeline of potentially high-value therapeutics in oncology, pain and other therapeutic areas. In the area of pain, Nektar has an exclusive worldwide license agreement with AstraZeneca for naloxegol (NKTR-118), an investigational drug candidate, which is being evaluated in Phase 3 clinical studies as a once-daily, oral tablet for the treatment of opioid-induced constipation.  This agreement also includes NKTR-119, an earlier stage development program that is a co-formulation of naloxegol and an opioid.  NKTR-181, a novel mu-opioid analgesic in development to treat chronic pain, has completed Phase 1 development and is being prepared for a Phase 2 study.  NKTR-192, a novel mu-opioid analgesic in development to treat acute pain, is in Phase 1 clinical development.  In oncology, etirinotecan pegol (NKTR-102) is being evaluated in a Phase 3 clinical study for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer and in Phase 2 studies for the treatment of ovarian and colorectal cancers.

Nektar's technology has enabled eight approved products in the U.S. or Europe through partnerships with leading biopharmaceutical companies, including Affymax's OMONTYS® for anemia, UCB's Cimzia® for Crohn's disease and rheumatoid arthritis, Roche's PEGASYS® for hepatitis C and Amgen's Neulasta® for neutropenia.  Additional development-stage products that leverage Nektar's proprietary technology platform include Baxter's BAX 855, a long-acting PEGylated rFVIII program, which is in Phase 1 clinical development.

Nektar is headquartered in San Francisco, California, with additional operations in Huntsville, Alabama and Hyderabad, India.  Further information about the company and its drug development programs and capabilities may be found online at http://www.nektar.com.

CONTACT:  Jennifer Ruddock of Nektar Therapeutics, +1-415-482-5585

SOURCE Nektar Therapeutics