Nektar Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company, researches and develops drug candidates for cancer and auto-immune disease in the United States. The company develops Bempegaldesleukin, a CD122-preferential interleukin-2 (IL-2) pathway agonist, which is in phase 3 clinical trial to treat metastatic melanoma, renal cell carcinoma, muscle-invasive bladder cancer, and adjuvant melanoma; phase 2 clinical trial for the treatment of renal cell carcinoma and urothelial cancer; phase 1/2A clinical trial to treat squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck; phase 1/2 clinical trial for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer and immuno-oncology; and phase 1B clinical trial to treat COVID-19.It is also developing NKTR-358, a cytokine Treg stimulant that is in phase 2 clinical trial for the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus and ulcerative colitis, as well as phase 1B clinical trial to treat atopic dermatitis and psoriasis; NKTR-255, an IL-15 receptor agonist, which is in phase 2 clinical trial for the treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and multiple myeloma, and head and neck cancer and colorectal cancer; and NKTR-262, a toll-like receptor agonist that is in phase 1/2 clinical trial to treat locally advanced or metastatic solid tumor malignancies, as well as various other drug candidates. The company has collaboration agreements with Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd.; AstraZeneca AB; UCB Pharma S.A.; F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd; Bausch Health Companies Inc.; Pfizer Inc.; Amgen Inc.; UCB Pharma (Biogen); Bristol-Myers Squibb Company; Baxalta Incorporated; Eli Lilly and Company; and SFJ Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Nektar Therapeutics was incorporated in 1990 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California.