Press Release

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Nektar Therapeutics (Nasdaq: NKTR) will host a conference call with investors to discuss the positive Phase 3 clinical results announced by its partner AstraZeneca.  Howard Robin, president and chief executive officer, will host the conference call, which will begin at 8:15 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)/5:15 a.m. Pacific Standard Time (PST).

A live audio-only Webcast of this conference call can be accessed through a link that is posted on the home page of the Nektar website: http://www.nektar.com. The web broadcast of the conference call will be available for replay through Thursday, December 13, 2012.

To access the conference call live by telephone, please follow these instructions:

A telephonic replay will also be available shortly following the call and can be accessed by dialing (855) 859-2056 (U.S.); or (404) 537-3406 (international) with a passcode of 70465377.  The replay will be available for approximately four weeks following the call.

In the event that any non-GAAP financial measure is discussed on the conference call that is not described in the press release, or explained on the conference call, related information will be made available on the Investor Relations page at the Nektar website as soon as practical after the conclusion of the conference call.

This call will replace the company's regular financial results call which was scheduled for Tuesday, November 13, 2012. 

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 candidate for chronic pain conditions, is in Phase 2 development in osteoarthritis patients with chronic knee pain. 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 (the BEACON study) for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer and is also 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 has completed Phase 1/2 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