Chief Executive Officer, President & Director, Nektar Therapeutics
Search every verified Howard Robin interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote β each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Howard Robin, CEO of Nektar Therapeutics, presented at the 2022 J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, where he discussed the company's pipeline and clinical progress. He stated that Nektar is a leader in cytokine medicine development, focusing on the IL-2 pathway with bempeg and the IL-15 pathway with Nektar 255. Robin noted that current sales of checkpoint inhibitors in tumor types targeted by bempeg exceed $6 billion, and that the clinical data from bempeg plus nivolumab has spurred dozens of companies in the cytokine space. He reported that six registrational studies for bempeg are underway, including a phase three study in metastatic melanoma with results expected within the next few months. Robin also highlighted data from Nektar 358, a regulatory T-cell therapy, which showed durable efficacy in atopic dermatitis patients, with skin scores remaining low 36 weeks after treatment. He said this led Eli Lilly to plan a phase two study in atopic dermatitis, adding to ongoing phase two studies in lupus and ulcerative colitis. Robin described Nektar 255 as an IL-15 agonist that causes proliferation of natural killer cells and CD8 positive T cells, with potential as a cell therapy potentiator. He stated that Nektar ended 2021 with approximately $800 million in cash, positioning the company for upcoming data readouts.
“Nektar is the leader in the development of medicines in the cytokine field, harnessing multiple components of the IL-2 pathway with bempeg and the IL-15 pathway with Nektar 255, enabling stimulation of the immune system with broad potential in liquid and solid tumors.”
“The clinical data generated with bempeg plus nivolumab has spurred the creation of dozens of companies in the cytokine space, many of which have achieved billions of dollars in funding, underscoring the conviction within our industry around the importance of IL-2 and other cytokines.”
“We have a development strategy with six registrational studies underway for bempeg, including a phase three study in metastatic melanoma combining bempeg with nivolumab, with results expected in the next few months.”
“Bempeg preferentially signals to the beta gamma portion of IL-2 receptors to stimulate cytotoxic T-cells without over-activating the alpha receptor, which can lead to down-regulation of the immune system; this approach is unique compared to other companies using mutated IL-2 forms.”
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