Organization and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2012
Organization and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	Note 1 — Organization and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies *Organization* We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company headquartered in San Francisco, California and incorporated in Delaware. We are developing a pipeline of drug candidates that utilize our PEGylation and advanced polymer conjugate technology platforms with the objective to improve the benefits of drugs for patients. Our research and development activities have required significant resources to date and are expected to continue to require significant resources. As a result, we expect to continue to incur substantial losses and negative cash flows from operations in the future. We have financed our operations primarily through cash from licensing, collaboration and manufacturing agreements and financing transactions. At September 30, 2012, we had approximately $354.3 million in cash, cash equivalents, and investments in marketable securities and $152.0 million in indebtedness. The indebtedness includes $125.0 million in aggregate principal amount of 12.0% senior secured notes due July 15, 2017 which we issued during the three months ended September 30, 2012, but excludes our long-term liability relating to the sale of future royalties. As is further described in Note 5, this royalty obligation liability will not be settled in cash, but we may be required to make a payment of up to $7.0 million in 2014 if certain performance targets are not met. During the three months ended September 30, 2012, we retired $215.0 million in aggregate principal amount of our previously outstanding convertible subordinated notes. *Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation* Our consolidated financial statements include the financial position, results of operations and cash flows of our wholly-owned subsidiaries: Nektar Therapeutics (India) Private Limited (Nektar India) and Nektar Therapeutics UK Limited. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. We prepared our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements following the requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for interim reporting. As permitted under those rules, certain footnotes or other financial information that are normally required by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) for annual periods can be condensed or omitted. In the opinion of management, these financial statements include all normal and recurring adjustments that we consider necessary for the fair presentation of our financial position and operating results. Our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements are denominated in U.S. dollars. Accordingly, changes in exchange rates between the applicable foreign currency and the U.S. dollar will affect the translation of each foreign subsidiary’s financial results into U.S. dollars for purposes of reporting our consolidated financial results. Translation gains and losses are included in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) in the stockholders’ equity section of the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. To date, such cumulative currency translation adjustments have not been material to our consolidated financial position. On January 1, 2012, we were required to adopt new accounting guidance related to the presentation of comprehensive income that prohibits the presentation of other comprehensive income (OCI) in the statement of stockholders’ equity and instead, provides the option of presenting OCI in a continuous statement of comprehensive income or as two separate consecutive statements. Our comprehensive loss consists of our net loss plus our foreign currency translation gains and losses and unrealized holding gains and losses on available-for-sale securities, neither of which were significant during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2012 and 2011. This change had no impact on our financial position or results of operations. The accompanying Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements are unaudited. The Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet data as of December 31, 2011 was derived from the audited consolidated financial statements which are included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011 filed with the SEC on February 29, 2012. The information included in this quarterly report on Form 10-Q should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes to those financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011. Revenue, expenses, assets, and liabilities can vary during each quarter of the year. The results and trends in these interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year or any other periods. *Use of Estimates* The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ materially from those estimates. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates, including those related to deferred revenue recognition periods, inventories, the impairment of investments, the impairment of goodwill and long-lived assets, contingencies, estimated interest expense from our liability related to our sale of future royalties, stock-based compensation, and ongoing litigation, among other estimates. We base our estimates on historical experience and on other assumptions that management believes are reasonable under the circumstances. These estimates form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities when these values are not readily apparent from other sources. *Reclassifications* Certain items previously reported in specific financial statement captions have been reclassified to conform to the current period presentation. Such reclassifications do not impact previously reported revenue, operating loss or net loss or total assets, liabilities or stockholders’ equity. *Segment Information* We operate in one business segment which focuses on applying our technology platforms to improve the performance of established and novel drug candidates. We operate in one segment because our business offerings have similar economics and other characteristics, including the nature of products and manufacturing processes, types of customers, distribution methods and regulatory environment. We are comprehensively managed as one business segment by our Chief Executive Officer and his management team. *Significant Concentrations* Our customers are primarily pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies that are located in the U.S. and Europe. Our accounts receivable balance contains billed and unbilled trade receivables from product sales and royalties, as well as time and materials based billings from collaborative research and development agreements. We provide for an allowance for doubtful accounts by reserving for specifically identified doubtful accounts. We generally do not require collateral from our customers. We perform a regular review of our customers’ payment histories and associated credit risk. We have not experienced significant credit losses from our accounts receivable and our allowance for doubtful accounts was not significant at either September 30, 2012 or December 31, 2011. We are dependent on our suppliers and contract manufacturers to provide raw materials, drugs and devices of appropriate quality and reliability and to meet applicable contract and regulatory requirements. In certain cases, we rely on single sources of supply of one or more critical materials. Consequently, in the event that supplies are delayed or interrupted for any reason, our ability to develop and produce our drug candidates or our ability to meet our supply obligations could be significantly impaired, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. *Revenue* We enter into arrangements with pharmaceutical and biotechnology collaboration partners that may involve multiple deliverables. Our arrangements may contain one or more of the following elements: upfront fees, contract research and development, milestone payments, manufacturing and supply payments, royalties, and license fees. Each deliverable in the arrangement is evaluated to determine whether it meets the criteria to be accounted for as a separate unit of accounting or whether it should be combined with other deliverables. Revenue is recognized separately for each element. At the inception of each new multiple-element arrangement or the material modification of an existing multiple-element arrangement, we allocate all consideration received under multiple-element arrangements to all units of accounting based on the relative selling price method, generally based on our best estimate of selling price (ESP). The objective of ESP is to determine the price at which we would transact a sale if the product or service was sold on a stand-alone basis. We determine ESP for the elements in our collaboration arrangements by considering multiple factors including, but not limited to, technical complexity of the performance obligation and similarity of elements to those performed under previous arrangements. Since we apply significant judgment in arriving at the ESPs, any material change in our estimates would significantly affect the allocation of the total consideration to the different elements of a multiple element arrangement. Product sales and royalties Product sales are primarily derived from cost-plus and fixed price manufacturing and supply agreements with our collaboration partners and revenue is recognized when there is persuasive evidence that an arrangement exists, delivery has occurred, the price is fixed or determinable, and collection is reasonably assured. We have not experienced any significant returns from our customers. Generally, we are entitled to royalties from our partners based on the net sales of their approved drugs that are marketed and sold in one or more countries where we hold royalty rights. We recognize royalty revenue when the cash is received or when the royalty amount to be received is estimable and collection is reasonably assured. With respect to the non-cash royalties from our liability related to sale of future royalties described at Note 5, revenues are recognized during the period in which the related royalty report is received, which occurs in the quarter after the applicable product sales are made. License, collaboration and other Upfront fees received by us in collaboration arrangements that include future obligations, such as manufacturing and supply obligations, under our license and collaborative agreements are recognized ratably over our expected performance period under each respective collaboration arrangement. We make our best estimate of the period over which we expect to fulfill our performance obligations, which may include technology transfer assistance, research activities, clinical development activities, and manufacturing activities from development through the commercialization of the product. Given the uncertainties of these collaboration arrangements, significant judgment is required to determine the duration of the performance period. Contingent consideration received from the achievement of a substantive milestone is recognized in its entirety in the period in which the milestone is achieved, which we believe is consistent with the substance of our performance under our various license and collaboration agreements. A milestone is defined as an event (i) that can only be achieved based in whole or in part either on the entity’s performance or on the occurrence of a specific outcome resulting from the entity’s performance, (ii) for which there is substantive uncertainty at the date the arrangement is entered into that the event will be achieved, and (iii) that would result in additional payments being due to the entity. A milestone is substantive if the consideration earned from the achievement of the milestone is consistent with our performance required to achieve the milestone or the increase in value to the collaboration resulting from our performance, relates solely to our past performance, and is reasonable relative to all of the other deliverables and payments within the arrangement. Our license and collaboration agreements with our partners provide for payments to us upon the achievement of development milestones, such as the completion of clinical trials or regulatory submissions, approvals by health authorities, and commercial launches of drugs. Given the challenges inherent in developing and obtaining regulatory approval for drug products and in achieving commercial launches, there was substantial uncertainty whether any such milestones would be achieved at the time of execution of these licensing and collaboration agreements. In addition, we evaluated whether the development milestones meet the remaining criteria to be considered substantive. As a result of our analysis, we consider our remaining development milestones under all of our license and collaboration agreements to be substantive and, accordingly, we expect to recognize as revenue future payments received from such milestones only if and as each milestone is achieved. Our license and collaboration agreements with certain partners also provide for contingent payments to us based solely upon the performance of the respective partner. For such contingent amounts we expect to recognize the payments as revenue when earned under the applicable contract, provided that collection is reasonably assured. Our license and collaboration agreements with our partners also provide for payments to us upon the achievement of specified sales volumes of approved drugs. We consider these payments to be similar to royalty payments and we will recognize such sales-based payments upon achievement of such sales volumes, provided that collection is reasonably assured. *Income Taxes* We account for income taxes under the liability method; under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on differences between financial reporting and tax reporting bases of assets and liabilities and are measured using enacted tax rates and laws that are expected to be in effect when the differences are expected to reverse. Realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon future earnings, the timing and amount of which are uncertain. We record a valuation allowance against deferred tax assets to reduce their carrying value to an amount that is more likely than not to be realized. When we establish or reduce the valuation allowance related to the deferred tax assets, our provision for income taxes will increase or decrease, respectively, in the period such determination is made. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2012 and 2011, we recorded an income tax provision for our Nektar India operations at an effective tax rate of approximately 32% for each period. The U.S. federal deferred tax assets generated from our net operating losses have been fully reserved as we believe it is not more likely than not that the benefit will be realized.

Note 1 — Organization and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Organization

We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company headquartered in San Francisco, California and incorporated in Delaware. We are developing a pipeline of drug candidates that utilize our PEGylation and advanced polymer conjugate technology platforms with the objective to improve the benefits of drugs for patients.

Our research and development activities have required significant resources to date and are expected to continue to require significant resources. As a result, we expect to continue to incur substantial losses and negative cash flows from operations in the future. We have financed our operations primarily through cash from licensing, collaboration and manufacturing agreements and financing transactions. At September 30, 2012, we had approximately $354.3 million in cash, cash equivalents, and investments in marketable securities and $152.0 million in indebtedness. The indebtedness includes $125.0 million in aggregate principal amount of 12.0% senior secured notes due July 15, 2017 which we issued during the three months ended September 30, 2012, but excludes our long-term liability relating to the sale of future royalties. As is further described in Note 5, this royalty obligation liability will not be settled in cash, but we may be required to make a payment of up to $7.0 million in 2014 if certain performance targets are not met. During the three months ended September 30, 2012, we retired $215.0 million in aggregate principal amount of our previously outstanding convertible subordinated notes.

Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation

Our consolidated financial statements include the financial position, results of operations and cash flows of our wholly-owned subsidiaries: Nektar Therapeutics (India) Private Limited (Nektar India) and Nektar Therapeutics UK Limited. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

We prepared our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements following the requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for interim reporting. As permitted under those rules, certain footnotes or other financial information that are normally required by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) for annual periods can be condensed or omitted. In the opinion of management, these financial statements include all normal and recurring adjustments that we consider necessary for the fair presentation of our financial position and operating results.

Our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements are denominated in U.S. dollars. Accordingly, changes in exchange rates between the applicable foreign currency and the U.S. dollar will affect the translation of each foreign subsidiary’s financial results into U.S. dollars for purposes of reporting our consolidated financial results. Translation gains and losses are included in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) in the stockholders’ equity section of the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. To date, such cumulative currency translation adjustments have not been material to our consolidated financial position.

On January 1, 2012, we were required to adopt new accounting guidance related to the presentation of comprehensive income that prohibits the presentation of other comprehensive income (OCI) in the statement of stockholders’ equity and instead, provides the option of presenting OCI in a continuous statement of comprehensive income or as two separate consecutive statements. Our comprehensive loss consists of our net loss plus our foreign currency translation gains and losses and unrealized holding gains and losses on available-for-sale securities, neither of which were significant during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2012 and 2011. This change had no impact on our financial position or results of operations.

The accompanying Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements are unaudited. The Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet data as of December 31, 2011 was derived from the audited consolidated financial statements which are included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011 filed with the SEC on February 29, 2012. The information included in this quarterly report on Form 10-Q should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes to those financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011.

Revenue, expenses, assets, and liabilities can vary during each quarter of the year. The results and trends in these interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year or any other periods.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ materially from those estimates. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates, including those related to deferred revenue recognition periods, inventories, the impairment of investments, the impairment of goodwill and long-lived assets, contingencies, estimated interest expense from our liability related to our sale of future royalties, stock-based compensation, and ongoing litigation, among other estimates. We base our estimates on historical experience and on other assumptions that management believes are reasonable under the circumstances. These estimates form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities when these values are not readily apparent from other sources.

Reclassifications

Certain items previously reported in specific financial statement captions have been reclassified to conform to the current period presentation. Such reclassifications do not impact previously reported revenue, operating loss or net loss or total assets, liabilities or stockholders’ equity.

Segment Information

We operate in one business segment which focuses on applying our technology platforms to improve the performance of established and novel drug candidates. We operate in one segment because our business offerings have similar economics and other characteristics, including the nature of products and manufacturing processes, types of customers, distribution methods and regulatory environment. We are comprehensively managed as one business segment by our Chief Executive Officer and his management team.

Significant Concentrations

Our customers are primarily pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies that are located in the U.S. and Europe. Our accounts receivable balance contains billed and unbilled trade receivables from product sales and royalties, as well as time and materials based billings from collaborative research and development agreements. We provide for an allowance for doubtful accounts by reserving for specifically identified doubtful accounts. We generally do not require collateral from our customers. We perform a regular review of our customers’ payment histories and associated credit risk. We have not experienced significant credit losses from our accounts receivable and our allowance for doubtful accounts was not significant at either September 30, 2012 or December 31, 2011.

We are dependent on our suppliers and contract manufacturers to provide raw materials, drugs and devices of appropriate quality and reliability and to meet applicable contract and regulatory requirements. In certain cases, we rely on single sources of supply of one or more critical materials. Consequently, in the event that supplies are delayed or interrupted for any reason, our ability to develop and produce our drug candidates or our ability to meet our supply obligations could be significantly impaired, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Revenue

We enter into arrangements with pharmaceutical and biotechnology collaboration partners that may involve multiple deliverables. Our arrangements may contain one or more of the following elements: upfront fees, contract research and development, milestone payments, manufacturing and supply payments, royalties, and license fees. Each deliverable in the arrangement is evaluated to determine whether it meets the criteria to be accounted for as a separate unit of accounting or whether it should be combined with other deliverables. Revenue is recognized separately for each element.

At the inception of each new multiple-element arrangement or the material modification of an existing multiple-element arrangement, we allocate all consideration received under multiple-element arrangements to all units of accounting based on the relative selling price method, generally based on our best estimate of selling price (ESP). The objective of ESP is to determine the price at which we would transact a sale if the product or service was sold on a stand-alone basis. We determine ESP for the elements in our collaboration arrangements by considering multiple factors including, but not limited to, technical complexity of the performance obligation and similarity of elements to those performed under previous arrangements. Since we apply significant judgment in arriving at the ESPs, any material change in our estimates would significantly affect the allocation of the total consideration to the different elements of a multiple element arrangement.

Product sales and royalties

Product sales are primarily derived from cost-plus and fixed price manufacturing and supply agreements with our collaboration partners and revenue is recognized when there is persuasive evidence that an arrangement exists, delivery has occurred, the price is fixed or determinable, and collection is reasonably assured. We have not experienced any significant returns from our customers.

Generally, we are entitled to royalties from our partners based on the net sales of their approved drugs that are marketed and sold in one or more countries where we hold royalty rights. We recognize royalty revenue when the cash is received or when the royalty amount to be received is estimable and collection is reasonably assured. With respect to the non-cash royalties from our liability related to sale of future royalties described at Note 5, revenues are recognized during the period in which the related royalty report is received, which occurs in the quarter after the applicable product sales are made.

License, collaboration and other

Upfront fees received by us in collaboration arrangements that include future obligations, such as manufacturing and supply obligations, under our license and collaborative agreements are recognized ratably over our expected performance period under each respective collaboration arrangement. We make our best estimate of the period over which we expect to fulfill our performance obligations, which may include technology transfer assistance, research activities, clinical development activities, and manufacturing activities from development through the commercialization of the product. Given the uncertainties of these collaboration arrangements, significant judgment is required to determine the duration of the performance period.

Contingent consideration received from the achievement of a substantive milestone is recognized in its entirety in the period in which the milestone is achieved, which we believe is consistent with the substance of our performance under our various license and collaboration agreements. A milestone is defined as an event (i) that can only be achieved based in whole or in part either on the entity’s performance or on the occurrence of a specific outcome resulting from the entity’s performance, (ii) for which there is substantive uncertainty at the date the arrangement is entered into that the event will be achieved, and (iii) that would result in additional payments being due to the entity. A milestone is substantive if the consideration earned from the achievement of the milestone is consistent with our performance required to achieve the milestone or the increase in value to the collaboration resulting from our performance, relates solely to our past performance, and is reasonable relative to all of the other deliverables and payments within the arrangement.

Our license and collaboration agreements with our partners provide for payments to us upon the achievement of development milestones, such as the completion of clinical trials or regulatory submissions, approvals by health authorities, and commercial launches of drugs. Given the challenges inherent in developing and obtaining regulatory approval for drug products and in achieving commercial launches, there was substantial uncertainty whether any such milestones would be achieved at the time of execution of these licensing and collaboration agreements. In addition, we evaluated whether the development milestones meet the remaining criteria to be considered substantive. As a result of our analysis, we consider our remaining development milestones under all of our license and collaboration agreements to be substantive and, accordingly, we expect to recognize as revenue future payments received from such milestones only if and as each milestone is achieved.

Our license and collaboration agreements with certain partners also provide for contingent payments to us based solely upon the performance of the respective partner. For such contingent amounts we expect to recognize the payments as revenue when earned under the applicable contract, provided that collection is reasonably assured.

Our license and collaboration agreements with our partners also provide for payments to us upon the achievement of specified sales volumes of approved drugs. We consider these payments to be similar to royalty payments and we will recognize such sales-based payments upon achievement of such sales volumes, provided that collection is reasonably assured.

Income Taxes

We account for income taxes under the liability method; under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on differences between financial reporting and tax reporting bases of assets and liabilities and are measured using enacted tax rates and laws that are expected to be in effect when the differences are expected to reverse. Realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon future earnings, the timing and amount of which are uncertain. We record a valuation allowance against deferred tax assets to reduce their carrying value to an amount that is more likely than not to be realized. When we establish or reduce the valuation allowance related to the deferred tax assets, our provision for income taxes will increase or decrease, respectively, in the period such determination is made.

For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2012 and 2011, we recorded an income tax provision for our Nektar India operations at an effective tax rate of approximately 32% for each period. The U.S. federal deferred tax assets generated from our net operating losses have been fully reserved as we believe it is not more likely than not that the benefit will be realized.