Lilly returns REZPEG rights to Nektar

28 April 2023

Nektar Therapeutics (Nasdaq: NKTR) has announced that it will be regaining the full rights to rezpegaldesleukin (REZPEG; NKTR-358) from Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY) which concludes the two companies’ collaboration that begun in 2017.

The news was not a big surprise, as, in February, Nektar reported that a study of rezpegaldesleukin did not achieve its goals and that partner Lilly has decided not to proceed with Phase III development of the investigational treatment for systemic lupus erythematosus, sending its shares crashing 40%. Nektar’s shares only declined 2.6% to $0.79 on the news yesterday.

As previously announced, Nektar plans to move forward with REZPEG and will initiate a Phase IIb study in patients with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis in 2023. The company will also explore other auto-immune indications for the development plan for REZPEG.

This article is accessible to registered users, to continue reading please register for free. A free trial will give you access to exclusive features, interviews, round-ups and commentary from the sharpest minds in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology space for a week. If you are already a registered user please login. If your trial has come to an end, you can subscribe here.

Try before you buy

Free

7 day trial access

Take a Free Trial

All the news that moves the needle in pharma and biotech
Exclusive features, podcasts, interviews, data analyses and commentary from our global network of life sciences reporters.
Receive The Pharma Letter daily news bulletin, free forever.

Become a subscriber

£820

Or £77 per month

Subscribe Now

Unfettered access to industry-leading news, commentary and analysis in pharma and biotech.
Updates from clinical trials, conferences, M&A, licensing, financing, regulation, patents & legal, executive appointments, commercial strategy and financial results.
Daily roundup of key events in pharma and biotech.
Monthly in-depth briefings on Boardroom appointments and M&A news.
Choose from a cost-effective annual package or a flexible monthly subscription

The Pharma Letter is an extremely useful and valuable Life Sciences service that brings together a daily update on performance people and products. It’s part of the key information for keeping me informed

Chairman, Sanofi Aventis UK