Nektar Therapeutics (NKTR)

[mlkrborn]

NKTR $5.00 Nektar Therapeutics beats by $0.16, beats on revs (NKTR) 4.96 -0.34 : Reports Q3 (Sep) loss of $0.21 per share, $0.16 better than the Capital IQ Consensus Estimate of ($0.37); revenues fell 28.5% year/year to $27.1 mln vs the $15.83 mln consensus. The sales increase was primarily the result of the completion as of December 31, 2010 of the amortization of the $125.0 million upfront payment received in 2009 from AstraZeneca for the NKTR-118 and NKTR-119 license agreement. "AstraZeneca's Phase 3 KODIAC program for NKTR-118 for opioid-induced constipation is continuing on-track with AZ targeting regulatory filing in 2013. We are targeting the start of the Phase 3 BEACON study for NKTR-102 in metastatic breast cancer before year-end. NKTR-181, our novel opioid candidate to treat chronic pain, is moving rapidly through Phase 1 clinical development and we plan to announce topline data before year-end. Finally, we plan to file an IND for NKTR-192, our new clinical candidate to treat acute pain, in the first quarter of 2012."