In a change of plans, Nektar spins out its opioid into a new biotech subsidiary as FDA PDUFA date looms
Nektar Therapeutics is spinning off a new biotech company and gifting it with their late-stage pain drug NKTR-181 just three months ahead of a revised PDUFA date. And they’ve recruited a former Merck exec to take the lead — marking a big shift from the licensing deal they had confidently been projecting.
Nektar $NKTR has heavily touted the drug as the first opioid that will be free of the immediate euphoric side effects that have triggered an epidemic of abuse around the country. It’s been tested in thousands of patients with lower back pain or non-cancer pain. Investigators for Nektar say that the drug is quickly expelled — allowing for twice-daily dosing — and has a hard time making it through the blood-brain barrier, to limit the addictive side effects.
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