Press Release

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ: NKTR) today announced it has appointed Myriam J. Curet, M.D., as an independent director to its Board of Directors. Dr. Curet brings three decades of experience working in the healthcare sector and academia, and currently serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for Intuitive Surgical, Inc., a global technology leader in minimally invasive care and the pioneer of robotic-assisted surgery.

"Myriam is a veteran healthcare executive and trained surgeon with extensive experience overseeing clinical and regulatory affairs," said Howard W. Robin, President and Chief Executive Officer of Nektar Therapeutics. "With her expertise in areas including market access, health economics and outcomes research, she will provide invaluable insights to our Board as we continue to advance our diverse portfolio of immuno-oncology and immunology programs."

Dr. Curet joined Intuitive Surgical in 2005 and has held a number of leadership positions of increasing responsibility. Previously, she served as Chief Medical Advisor and Senior Vice President, Chief Medical Officer. Since 2000, she has also held a faculty position at Stanford University School of Medicine, serving as a Clinical Professor of Surgery with a part-time clinical appointment at the Veteran's Administration Medical Center in Palo Alto, California. Prior to joining Stanford, she served as Associate Professor of Surgery at the University of New Mexico. Earlier, she held various positions at the Indian Health Service, an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Dr. Curet began her career in medicine at the Gallup Indian Medical Center in New Mexico, where she was Medical Deputy Director.

"I'm very impressed by Nektar's visionary leadership team, proven science and R&D pipeline of investigational therapeutics for patients suffering from cancer and autoimmune disorders," said Dr. Curet. "I'm looking forward to collaborating with Nektar's executives and other members of its world-class Board to provide strategic guidance as the company continues to advance its innovative product candidates through clinical trials with the goal of delivering them to patients in need."  

Dr. Curet received a bachelor's degree from Bryn Mawr College and an M.D. from Harvard Medical School. She completed a residency in general surgery at the University of Chicago and a fellowship in surgical endoscopy at the University of New Mexico.

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, autoimmune 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.

Contact:

For Investors:
Vivian Wu of Nektar Therapeutics
628-895-0661

For Media:
Jodi Sievers of Nektar Therapeutics
415-482-5593 

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

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SOURCE Nektar Therapeutics