Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) announced that positive proof-of-concept data is being presented from its first Phase 1 clinical trial of NKTR-181 at the American Academy of Pain Management (AAPM) 22nd Annual Clinical Meeting. NKTR-181 is a new oral opioid analgesic candidate in development for the treatment of chronic pain. It is designed to address the abuse liability and serious central nervous system (CNS) side effects associated with current opioid therapies. NKTR-181 is a novel mu-opioid agonist created using Nektar's proprietary polymer conjugate technology and its differentiating properties are inherent to the design of its new molecular structure. Chronic pain conditions, such as osteoarthritis, back pain and cancer pain, affect at least 126 million adults in the U.S. annually and contribute to over $100 billion a year in lost productivity.

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