Significant Anti-Tumor Activity of NKTR-102 in Patients With Refractory Solid Tumors; Interim Data Published in ASCO 2008 P...(ClinicalOncology (ASCO) 2008 Annual Meet...),Health

Side effects in the first dose schedule were diarrhea and neutropenia and were identified as manageable toxicities, with diarrhea being the dose- limiting toxicity associated with administration of NKTR-102. The recommended Phase 2 dose (RP2D) was 115 mg/m2. No Grade 4 or Grade 5 toxicities were observed with administration of NKTR-102.

The Phase 1 trial, sponsored by Nektar Therapeutics, includes clinical sites at Translational Generational Clinical Research Services at Scottsdale Healthcare and the Louisville Oncology Clinical Research Program. The company also expects to present results from this trial at additional scientific forums later this year.

The NKTR-102 abstract entitled "Phase 1 dose finding and pharmacokinetic study of NKTR-102 (PEGylated irinotecan): early evidence of anti-tumor activity" (Abstract No. 13518, published in the ASCO proceedings) can also be found on Nektar's website at http://www.nektar.com/wt/page/nktr102media.

About NKTR-102

Nektar is developing NKTR-102, a PEGylated form of irinotecan, which was invented by Nektar using its world-leading small molecule PEGylation technology platform. The product is currently in Phase 2 clinical development to evaluate its efficacy and safety in combination with cetuximab. Irinotecan is an important chemotherapeutic agent used for the treatment of solid tumors, including colorectal and lung cancers. By applying Nektar's small molecule PEGylation technology to irinotecan, NKTR-102 may prove to be a more powerful and tolerable anti-tumor agent.

Nektar PEGylation technology is used in eight additional approved partnered products in the U.S. or Europe today, including UCB's Cimzia(R), Roche's PEGASYS(R) for hepatitis C and Amgen's Neulasta(R) for neutr
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