Nektar's drug diversity may be its strength

When Howard Robin took over as president and CEO of Nektar Therapeutics Inc. in early 2007, the company was based in San Carlos with a high payroll and, essentially, one product in the form of the inhaled insulin drug-device Exubera.
Since Pfizer Inc. pulled Exubera later that year, Nektar (NASDAQ: NKTR) has moved to San Francisco, shed workers, cut expenses and developed several programs, ranging from breast cancer to pain.
I take a look at one of those drugs, NKTR-181, in a print edition story in the Jan. 20 issue. But the real story here is Nektar’s ongoing metamorphosis from “the inhaled insulin company” to one with the proverbial multiple shots on goal in multiple diseases.

New Cerus boss looks to expand blood franchise in U.S., abroad

Cerus Corp. is out for blood, but it really needs money.
The Concord company (NASDAQ: CERS) has long been a player in the blood-testing field. Its Intercept system, developed with the help of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE: BAX) and approved in Europe in 2002, makes transfusions safer by inactivating a killer lineup of pathogens — viruses, bacteria and parasites — that otherwise can enter the blood supply undetected.
But after some missteps, Cerus is back, leaner and focused, again, on expanding into the more-lucrative red blood cell testing business.