Nektar makes case for NKTR-214 optimism
On a call with investors Saturday, Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) and a PI for the Phase I/II PIVOT-2 trial highlighted differences in patient demographics that could be critical for NKTR-214 plus Opdivo nivolumab to achieve a positive Phase III outcome and not a repeat of the Phase I/II ECHO-202/KEYNOTE-037 and Phase III ECHO-301 trials that evaluated a combination of epacadostat and Keytruda pembrolizumab. Nektar gained $2.97 to $36.99 Monday.
Nektar held the call a day after announcing updated data from PIVOT-2 to treat previously untreated metastatic stage IV melanoma in which NKTR-214 plus anti-PD-1 mAb Opdivo led to a confirmed best objective response rate (ORR) of 53%, including a 24% complete response (CR) rate, among 38 evaluable patients (see "NKTR-214 CR Data at SITC Suggest Advantage Over SOC")...