Press Release

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Nektar Therapeutics (Nasdaq: NKTR) today announced the appointment of Wei Lin, M.D., as Senior Vice President of Clinical Development and Head of Nektar's Oncology Programs. In this role, Dr. Lin will lead development strategy and study oversight of the company's immuno-oncology candidates and other oncology programs.

"Dr. Lin has extensive experience leading global development teams and conducting clinical research at leading institutions," said Mary Tagliaferri, M.D., Senior Vice President of Clinical Development and Chief Medical Officer at Nektar Therapeutics. "Dr. Lin's experience in formulating strategy and designing and monitoring trials will be instrumental as we continue to advance our immuno-oncology pipeline."

From 2011 to 2018, Dr. Lin was at Genentech, where he served as the Global Development Leader for cancer immunotherapy in lung and head and neck cancer, developing strategy, executing proof-of-concept and registration trials, and gaining approvals of immunotherapy drugs. During his time at Genentech, he also served as a core member of the Lung and Head and Neck Cancer Franchise, identifying opportunities to develop the pipeline and contributing to decisions in funding and acquisitions/partnering opportunities.

"I am excited to join Nektar and lead the development strategy for the company's oncology programs," said Dr. Lin. "These programs are based on unique mechanisms that target and activate multiple processes of the immune system. I look forward to contributing to their continued advancement so we can provide better treatment options to patients in need."

Prior to joining Genentech, Dr. Lin served as a faculty member at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston in the Department of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology. He received a B.A. from Haverford College and an M.D. from Harvard Medical School. He completed a residency in internal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and a fellowship in medical oncology at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

Dr. Lin has extensive clinical research experience and has been published in more than 15 peer-reviewed journals.

About Nektar Therapeutics
Nektar Therapeutics is a research-based development stage biopharmaceutical company whose mission is to discover and develop innovative medicines to address the unmet medical needs of patients. Our R&D pipeline of new investigational medicines includes treatments for cancer, auto-immune disease and chronic pain. We leverage Nektar's proprietary and proven chemistry platform in the discovery and design of our new therapeutic candidates. 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.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements which can be identified by words such as: "will" and "can" and similar references to future periods. Examples of forward-looking statements include, among others, statements we make regarding the therapeutic potential of our immune-oncology candidates, and the strategies relating to the development of our oncology programs. Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based only on our current beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding the future of our business, future plans and strategies, anticipated events and trends, and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of our control. Our actual results may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements include, among others: (i) our statements regarding the therapeutic potential of our pipeline molecules are based on unique mechanisms that require additional preclinical and clinical findings and observations to ensure safety and efficacy; (ii) the clinical and commercial risks associated with our pipeline molecules remains high and failure can unexpectedly occur at any stage for one or more of the indications being studied prior to regulatory approval due to lack of sufficient efficacy, safety considerations or other factors that impact drug development; (iii) data reported from ongoing preclinical and clinical trials are necessarily interim data only and the final results will change based on continuing observations; (iv) patents may not issue from our patent applications for our drug candidates, patents that have issued may not be enforceable, or additional intellectual property licenses from third parties may be required; and (v) certain other important risks and uncertainties set forth in Nektar's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 8, 2018. Any forward-looking statement made by us in this press release is based only on information currently available to us and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

Contact:

For Investors: 
Jennifer Ruddock of Nektar Therapeutics
415-482-5585

Jodi Sievers of Nektar Therapeutics
415-482-5593

For Media:  
Dan Budwick of 1AB
973-271-6085
dan@1abmedia.com

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SOURCE Nektar Therapeutics