SAN CARLOS, Calif., Feb 02, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX News Network/ -- Nektar Therapeutics (Nasdaq: NKTR) today
announced that R. Scott Greer has joined the company's Board of Directors. Mr. Greer is an accomplished industry leader with
more than 25 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. The addition of Mr. Greer brings the total number of
Nektar Board members to nine.
"Scott's wealth of strategic and operational experience will serve as a valued addition to our Board," said Howard W. Robin,
President and Chief Executive Officer of Nektar and member of the Board of Directors. "The guidance and insight of successful
leaders like Scott help support our strategic business objectives as we drive multiple programs through the clinic and continue
to build shareholder value."
Mr. Greer is currently Managing Director of Numenor Ventures, LLC, where he has made direct investments in nearly twenty
healthcare, technology, and consumer product companies. Mr. Greer founded Abgenix, Inc., a biotechnology company focused
on developing human antibody-based therapeutics. He served as Abgenix's Chief Executive Officer from 1996 to 2002, and its
Chairman from 2000 to 2006 when the company was acquired by Amgen, Inc. for approximately $2.2 billion. Mr. Greer invested
in and served as Chairman of the Board of Sirna Therapeutics, a publicly-traded biotechnology company that was sold to
Merck for more than $1.1 billion in December 2006. Prior to forming Abgenix, Mr. Greer spent five years at Cell Genesys, Inc.,
initially as Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Corporate Development and later as Senior Vice President of
Corporate Development. Mr. Greer is currently Chairman of the Board of Acologix, Inc., a development-stage biotechnology
company and in the past has served on the boards of numerous public and private life sciences companies. Mr. Greer has a
B.A. in economics from Whitman College and an M.B.A. from Harvard University.
"Nektar possesses a powerful drug development platform, a rich and deep pipeline and a strong financial position. I look
forward to working with Howard and the Board to support the company's continued success as it capitalizes on its proven
polymer conjugate technology across multiple therapeutic areas," said Mr. Greer.
About Nektar
Nektar Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics based on its PEGylation and advanced
polymer conjugation technology platforms. Nektar's technology and drug development expertise have enabled nine approved
products in the U.S. or Europe for leading biopharmaceutical company partners, including UCB's Cimzia(R) for Crohn's disease
and rheumatoid arthritis, Roche's PEGASYS(R) for hepatitis C and Amgen's Neulasta(R) for neutropenia.
Nektar has created a robust pipeline of potentially high-value therapeutics to address unmet medical needs by leveraging and
expanding its technology platforms. Nektar is currently conducting clinical and preclinical programs in oncology, pain and other
therapeutic areas. Nektar recently entered into an exclusive worldwide license agreement with AstraZeneca for its oral NKTR-
118 program to treat opioid-induced constipation and its NKTR-119 program for the treatment of pain without constipation side
effects. NKTR-102 is being evaluated in Phase 2 clinical studies for the treatment of ovarian, breast and colorectal cancers.
NKTR-105 is in a Phase 1 clinical study in cancer patients with refractory solid tumors.
Nektar is headquartered in San Carlos, California, with additional R&D 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.
This press release contains forward-looking statements that reflect management's current views regarding the value and
potential of Nektar's technology platform, Nektar's pipeline of product candidates in development, and certain of Nektar's
collaborations with third parties. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to:
(i) Nektar's proprietary product candidates and those of its partners are in the early to mid-stage phases of clinical
development and the risk of failure is high and can occur at any stage prior to regulatory approval; (ii) Nektar or its partners
may not be able to successfully obtain regulatory approval for product candidates in development; (iii) Nektar's
commercialization partners may not be successful in their sales and marketing efforts even if current product candidates
successfully receive future regulatory approval in one or more markets; (iv) Nektar's patent applications for its technology
platforms and proprietary or partner product candidates may not issue, patents that have issued may not be enforceable;
and/or intellectual property licenses from third parties may be required in the future as a result of litigation or otherwise; and (v)
other important risks and uncertainties set forth in Nektar's most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on November 5,
2009 and its Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 6, 2009. Actual results
could differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Nektar undertakes no obligation to
update forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
