NEKTAR THERAPEUTICS (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter) Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the SecuritiesExchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) hasbeen subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. YesNo☐ Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submittedpursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrantwas required to submit such files). YesNo☐ Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smallerreporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reportingcompany,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. NEKTAR THERAPEUTICSINDEX Summary of Risks PART I: FINANCIAL INFORMATION Item 1.Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — Unaudited:6Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets — March 31, 2026 and December 31, 20256Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations for the three months ended March 31, 2026 and 20257Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss for thethree months ended March 31, 2026 and20258Condensed Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity for thethree months ended March 31, 2026 and20259Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for thethree months ended March 31, 2026 and 202510Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements11Item 2.Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations22Item 3.Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk32Item 4.Controls and Procedures32 PART II: OTHER INFORMATION Item 1.Legal Proceedings33Item 1A.Risk Factors33Item 2.Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities, Use of Proceeds and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities58Item 3.Defaults Upon Senior Securities58Item 4.Mine Safety Disclosures58Item 5.Other Information58Item 6.Exhibits59Signatures61 Forward-Looking Statements This report includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, asamended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements other than statements of historicalfact are “forward-looking statements” for purposes of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, including any projections of marketsize, earnings, revenue, milestone payments, royalties, sales or other financial items, any statements of the plans and objectives ofmanagement for future operations (including, but not limited to, preclinical development, clinical trials and manufacturing), anystatements related to our financial condition and future working capital needs, any statements related to our strategic reorganizationand cost restructuring plans, any statements regarding potential future financing alternatives, any statements concerning proposeddrug candidates and our future research and development plans, any statements regarding the timing for the start or end of clinicaltrials or submission of regulatory approval filings, any statements regarding future economic conditions or performance, anystatements regarding the initiation, formation, or success of any collaboration arrangements, commercialization activities andproduct sales levels and future payments that may come due to us under these arrangements, any statements regarding our plans andobjectives to initiate or continue clinical trials, any statements related to potential, anticipated, or ongoing litigation (including thetiming for court hearings and trials) and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of terminology such as “believe,” “may,” “will,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,”“estimates,” “potential” or “continue,” or the negative thereof or other comparable terminology. Although we believe that theexpectations reflected in the forward-looking statements contained herein are reasonable, such expectations or any of the forward-looking statements may prove to be incorrect and actual results could differ materially from those projected or assumed in theforward-looking statements. Our future financial condition and results of operations, as well as any forward-looking statements, aresubject to inherent risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, the risk factors set forth in Part I, Item 1A “Risk Factors”below and for the reasons described elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. All forward-looking statements and reasonswhy results may differ included in this report are made as of the date hereof and we do not intend to update any fo