Nektar Ends Inhaled Insulin Programs

Nektar Therapeutics, a developer of drug delivery technologies, has stopped efforts to find a partner for its inhaled insulin program after Pfizer, its former partner, released negative clinical results last week. An ongoing review of clinical data for the Pfizer product Exubera showed an increase in lung cancer cases among former smokers using inhaled insulin compared with a control group. Pfizer pulled Exubera from the market in October 2007 after 18 months of limited patient interest and dismal sales. To conclude their product development relationship, Pfizer paid Nektar $135 million and agreed to transfer product rights if Nektar found another partner.