Inheris Biopharma

Inheris Biopharma was a central nervous system-focused subsidiary created by Nektar Therapeutics in 2019 to prepare for commercialization of NKTR-181, an investigational opioid analgesic for chronic pain with a design intended to reduce abuse potential by slowing entry into the central nervous system. The company was also expected to advance additional preclinical CNS assets contributed by Nektar. Inheris was led at launch by Jay Galeota, with Joe Stauffer as chief medical officer and George Shiebler as senior vice president and general counsel. However, following the failure of NKTR-181 to secure approval and Nektar's subsequent withdrawal of the NDA in early 2020, Inheris does not appear to have developed into an ongoing standalone operating biotech. It is best understood as a short-lived Nektar subsidiary formed around a single late-stage CNS/pain asset rather than an active independent biotechnology company.