Nektar Therapeutics (NKTR)

[mlkrborn]

Nektar Therapeutics announces positive clinical data from second Phase 1 clinical study of NKTR-181; exhibits sustained and dose-dependent analgesic effect, reduced rate of entry into the CNS and wide therapeutic window (NKTR) 5.35 : Co announced positive data from a Phase 1 clinical study of NKTR-181 evaluating multiple ascending oral doses of NKTR-181 over an 8-day treatment period in healthy subjects. NKTR-181 is Nektar's new oral opioid analgesic candidate designed to address the abuse liability and serious central nervous system side effects associated with current opioid therapies. In this multiple dose Phase 1 study, NKTR-181 exhibited a sustained analgesic response, supporting its development as a twice-daily oral tablet for the treatment of chronic pain conditions. Pupillometry data from the study demonstrated that NKTR-181's centrally-mediated opioid effects are dose-dependent and that the molecule enters the brain slowly, which could reduce the euphoria and other CNS side effects that are associated with current opioids. NKTR-181 was also well-tolerated over the entire 8-day dosing period in the study at all doses evaluated.