Nektar makes case for NKTR-214 optimism
On a Nov. 10 call with investors, 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 held the call a day after announcing updated data from the open-label, international 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 as of an Oct. 1 cut-off. Nektar reported the update at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer meeting in Washington (see "NKTR-214 CR Data at SITC Suggest Advantage Over SOC")...