or Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes☒No☐ Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes☐No☒ Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during thepreceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.Yes☒No☐ Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes☒No☐ Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company or an emerginggrowth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of theExchange Act. : If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revisedfinancial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.☐ Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control overfinancial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report.☐ If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflectthe correction of an error to previously issued financial statements.☐ Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any ofthe registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to § 240.10D-1(b).☐ Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Exchange Act Rule 12b-2). Yes☐No☒ The approximate aggregate market value of voting stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant, based upon the last sale price of the registrant’s common stock on thelast business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, June 30, 2025, as reported on The NASDAQ Capital Market, was approximately $318million. As of March 11, 2026, the number of outstanding shares of the registrant’s common stock was 28,687,963. DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE Portions of registrant’s definitive Proxy Statement to be filed for its 2026 Annual Meeting of Stockholders are incorporated by reference into Part III hereof.SuchProxyStatement will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days of the end of the fiscal year covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K. NEKTAR THERAPEUTICS2025 ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-KTABLE OF CONTENTS Summary of Risks PART I Item 1.BusinessItem 1A.Risk FactorsItem 1B.Unresolved Staff CommentsItem 1C.CybersecurityItem 2.PropertiesItem 3.Legal ProceedingsItem 4.Mine Safety Disclosures PART II Item 5.Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities47Item 6.Reserved48Item 7.Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations49Item 7A.Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk61Item 8.Financial Statements and Supplementary Data63Item 9.Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure99Item 9A.Controls and Procedures99Item 9B.Other Information99Item 9C.Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections100 PART III Item 10.Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance101Item 11.Executive Compensation101Item 12.Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters101Item 13.Certain Relationships and Related Transactions and Director Independence101Item 14.Principal Accountant Fees and Services101 PART IV Item 15.Exhibits and Financial Statement SchedulesItem 16.Form 10-K SummarySignatures 102102107 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 annual report on Form 10-K, including any projections of market