Nektar Therapeutics Corporate Call - COVID Analyst Event Transcript

The following is excerpted from the question-and-answer section of the transcript.

Question: Jessica Macomber Fye - JPMorgan Chase & Co, Research Division - Analyst : Given that it seems that some of the effects of this disease are driven by an overactive immune response is how do you balance that risk when you take bempeg into these patients? And is that why you're going into mild patients versus more severe where that risk may be greater? It just seems like it's difficult to know ahead of time, which patients are going to go on to develop a hyperinflammatory response. And it seems like there are plenty of young people who easily clear the virus initially but then have bad problems starting in the second week and lasting long-term due to a hyperinflammatory response. So given that the disease has 2 phases and the damage in the first week is more virus-driven with the second week seemingly more driven by the immune response, how do you ensure you get to these patients soon enough in their disease course for a product like this to have a benefit?

Question: George Farmer - BMO Capital Markets Equity Research - Analyst : Jonathan, I was -- perhaps you could comment on the selection of doses that you're using. They seem quite low and certainly lower than what you're using in the oncology setting. What sort of data do you have regarding the PK/PD relationship with those doses in animal models? And then if I could ask another quick question is, do you think that bempeg could have any actual antiviral activity in these patients?