Nektar Therapeutics (NKTR)

Patents and Proprietary Rights

We routinely apply for patents for our innovations and for improvements to our technology platform. We also rely on our trade secrets and know-how to protect our technologies and our competitive position. We plan to defend our proprietary technologies from infringement, misappropriation and duplication through our issued patents, our proprietary know-how and contracts.

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Our patent portfolio contains patents and patent applications that encompass each of our technologies, including our pulmonary technology and our PEGylation technology platforms. As of December 31, 2007, we owned over 220 U.S. and over 1,200 foreign patents. Currently, we have over 200 patent applications pending in the US and over 1,100 pending in other countries. Our PEGylation technology patents and patent applications cover reactive PEG derivatives, PEG-drug conjugates, PEG-based pro-drugs and PEG-drug delivery vehicles. Our pulmonary technology patents and patent applications cover compositions, methods and apparatus for preparing, packaging and delivering particles for pulmonary delivery of both large and small molecule drugs. Although our early PEGylation technology patent applications were filed in the U.S. only, we routinely file patent applications on innovations and improvements in each of these areas on a worldwide basis. In the U.S. and generally throughout the world, the term of a new patent is twenty years from the date on which the application for the patent was filed or, in certain cases, from an earlier date from which the application claims priority, subject to the payment of maintenance fees. In some instances, a patent term may be extended for a patent the issuance of which is delayed due to patent application examining authorities or for a patent covering a regulated product the market approval of which is delayed due to product reviewing regulatory authorities.

With regard to our PEGylation technology patent portfolio, we have filed patent applications directed to activated PEG reagents having a variety of structures and reactive groups, methods of producing highly pure polymer reagents, PEG pro-drugs having hydrolyzable linkages, PEG-based hydrogels and alternative gel systems and PEG conjugates of certain molecules.

Our pulmonary technology patent portfolio relates to pharmaceutical compositions and reagents, medical devices and equipment and methods for preparation, packaging and delivery of our pharmaceutical compositions. This portfolio includes spray drying solutions, emulsions and suspensions to prepare particles of various morphologies. Patents owned by us in these areas cover inhaler devices, formulations for pulmonary delivery and methods for preparing, packaging and using these formulations and particular active agent formulations for delivery via the respiratory tract.

The patent positions of pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device and drug delivery companies, including ours, involve complex legal and factual issues. There can be no assurance that patents we apply for will be issued to us or that patents that are issued to us will be valid and enforceable. Even for patents that are enforceable, we anticipate that any attempt to enforce our patents would be time consuming and costly. Additionally, the coverage claimed in a patent application can be significantly reduced before the patent is issued. As a consequence, we do not know whether any of our pending patent applications will be granted with broad coverage or whether the claims that eventually issue, or those that have issued, will be circumvented. Since publication of discoveries in scientific or patent literature often lag behind actual discoveries, we cannot be certain that we were the first inventor of inventions covered by our patents or patent applications or that we were the first to file patent applications for such inventions. Moreover, we may have to participate in interference proceedings in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, which could result in substantial cost to us, even if the eventual outcome is favorable. An adverse outcome could subject us to significant liabilities to third parties, require disputed rights to be licensed from or to third parties or require us to cease using the technology in dispute.

U.S. and foreign patent rights and other proprietary rights exist that are owned by third parties and relate to pharmaceutical compositions and reagents, medical devices and equipment and methods for preparation, packaging and delivery of pharmaceutical compositions. We cannot predict with any certainty which, if any, of these rights will be considered relevant to our technology by authorities in the various jurisdictions where such rights exist, nor can we predict with certainty which, if any, of these rights will or may be asserted against us by third parties. We could incur substantial costs in defending ourselves and our partners against any such claims. Furthermore, parties making such claims may be able to obtain injunctive or other equitable relief, which could effectively block our ability to develop or commercialize some or all of our products in the U.S. and abroad and could result in the award of substantial damages. In the event of a claim of infringement, we or our partners may

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be required to obtain one or more licenses from third parties. There can be no assurance that we can obtain a license to any technology that we determine we need on reasonable terms, if at all, or that we could develop or otherwise obtain alternative technology. The failure to obtain licenses if needed may have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We also rely on trade secret protection for our confidential and proprietary information. No assurance can be given that we can meaningfully protect our trade secrets. Others may independently develop substantially equivalent confidential and proprietary information or otherwise gain access to, or disclose, our trade secrets.

Our ability to develop and commercialize our technologies will be affected by our or our partners’ access to drugs that are to be formulated. Many biopharmaceutical drugs, including some presently under development by us, are subject to issued and pending U.S. and foreign patent rights that may be owned by competing entities. There can be no assurance that we will have access to drug candidates for formulation or that, if such access is provided, we will not be accused of, or determined to be, infringing a third party’s rights and be prohibited from working with the drug or found liable for damages that may not be subject to indemnification. Any such restriction on access or liability for damages would have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

It is our policy to require our employees and consultants, outside scientific collaborators, sponsored researchers and other advisors who receive confidential information from us to execute confidentiality agreements upon the commencement of employment or consulting relationships with us. These agreements provide that all confidential information developed or made known to the individual during the course of the individual’s relationship with us is to be kept confidential and not disclosed to third parties except in specific circumstances. The agreements provide that all inventions conceived by an employee shall be our property. There can be no assurance, however, that these agreements will provide meaningful protection or adequate remedies for our trade secrets in the event of unauthorized use or disclosure of such information.

Patents and Proprietary Rights

Patents and Proprietary Rights

We routinely apply for patents for our innovations and for improvements to our technology platform. We also rely on our trade secrets and know-how to protect our technologies and our competitive position. We plan to defend our proprietary technologies from infringement, misappropriation, and duplication through our issued patents, our proprietary know-how, and contracts.

Our patent portfolio contains patents and patent applications that encompass each of our technologies including our Pulmonary Technology and our PEGylation Technology platforms. As of December 31, 2006, we owned over 1,000 U.S. and foreign patents and a number of patent applications that cover various aspects of our technologies or products. Our PEGylation Technology patents and patent applications cover reactive PEG derivatives, PEG-drug conjugates, PEG-based pro-drugs and PEG-drug delivery vehicles. Our Pulmonary Technology patents and patent applications cover compositions and methods and apparatus for preparing, packaging, and delivering particles for pulmonary delivery of both large and small molecule drugs. Although our early PEGylation technology patent applications were filed in the U.S. only, we routinely file patent applications on innovations and improvements in each of these areas on a worldwide basis. In the U.S. and generally throughout the world, the term of a new patent is twenty years from the date on which the application for the patent was filed or, in certain cases, from an earlier date from which the application claims priority, subject to the payment of maintenance fees. Patent terms in some instance may be extended for patents the issuances of which are delayed due to patent application examining authorities and for patents covering regulated products the market approval of which are delayed due to product reviewing regulatory authorities.

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With regard to our PEGylation technology patent portfolio, we have filed patent applications directed to activated PEG reagents having a variety of structures and reactive groups, methods of producing highly pure polymer reagents, PEG pro-drugs having hydrolyzable linkages, PEG-based hydrogels and alternative gel systems and PEG conjugates of certain molecules.

Our Pulmonary Technology patent portfolio relates to pharmaceutical compositions and reagents, medical devices and equipment and methods for preparation, packaging and delivery of our pharmaceutical compositions. This portfolio includes spray drying solutions, emulsions, and suspensions to prepare particles of various morphologies. Patents owned by us in these areas cover inhaler devices, formulations for pulmonary delivery and methods for preparing, packaging and using these formulations and particular active agent formulations for delivery via the respiratory tract.

The patent positions of pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device and drug delivery companies, including ours, involve complex legal and factual issues. There can be no assurance that patents we apply for will issue, or that patents that are issued will be valid and enforceable. Even if such patents are enforceable, we anticipate that any attempt to enforce our patents could be time consuming and costly. Additionally, the coverage claimed in a patent application can be significantly reduced before the patent is issued. As a consequence, we do not know whether any of our pending patent applications will be granted with broad coverage or whether the claims that eventually issue or those that have issued will be circumvented. Since publication of discoveries in scientific or patent literature often lag behind actual discoveries, we cannot be certain that we were the first inventor of inventions covered by our patents or patent applications or that we were the first to file patent applications for such inventions. Moreover, we may have to participate in interference proceedings in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, which could result in substantial cost to us, even if the eventual outcome is favorable. An adverse outcome could subject us to significant liabilities to third parties, require disputed rights to be licensed from or to third parties or require us to cease using the technology in dispute.

U.S. and foreign patent rights and other proprietary rights exist that are owned by third parties and relate to pharmaceutical compositions and reagents, medical devices, and equipment and methods for preparation, packaging and delivery of pharmaceutical compositions. We cannot predict with any certainty which, if any, of these rights will be considered relevant to our technology by authorities in the various jurisdictions where such rights exist, nor can we predict with certainty which, if any, of these rights will or may be asserted against us by third parties. We could incur substantial costs in defending ourselves and our partners against any such claims. Furthermore, parties making such claims may be able to obtain injunctive or other equitable relief, which could effectively block our ability to develop or commercialize some or all of our products in the U.S. and abroad, and could result in the award of substantial damages. In the event of a claim of infringement, we or our partner’s may be required to obtain onr or more licenses from third parties. There can be no assurance that we can obtain a license to any technology that we determine we need on reasonable terms, if at all, or that we could develop or otherwise obtain alternative technology. The failure to obtain licenses if needed may have a material adverse effect on us.

We also rely upon trade secret protection for our confidential and proprietary information. No assurance can be given that others will not independently develop substantially equivalent confidential and proprietary information or otherwise gain access to our trade secrets or disclose such technology, or that we can meaningfully protect our trade secrets.

Our ability to develop and commercialize our technologies will be affected by our or our partners’ access to drugs that are to be formulated. Many biopharmaceutical drugs, including some of those that are presently under development by us, are subject to issued and pending U.S. and foreign patent rights which may be owned by competing entities. There can be no assurance that we will have access to drug candidates for formulation or that, if such access is provided, we will not be accused of, or determined to be, infringing a third party’s rights and will not be prohibited from working with the drug or be found liable for damages that may not be subject to indemnification. Any such restriction on access or liability for damages would have a material adverse effect on us.

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It is our policy to require our employees and consultants, outside scientific collaborators, sponsored researchers and other advisors who receive confidential information from us to execute confidentiality agreements upon the commencement of employment or consulting relationships with us. These agreements provide that all confidential information developed or made known to the individual during the course of the individual’s relationship with us is to be kept confidential and not disclosed to third parties except in specific circumstances. The agreements provide that all inventions conceived by an employee shall be our property. There can be no assurance, however, that these agreements will provide meaningful protection or adequate remedies for our trade secrets in the event of unauthorized use or disclosure of such information.

Patents and Proprietary Rights

We routinely apply for patents for our innovations and for improvements to our technologies. We also rely on our trade secrets and know-how to protect our technologies and our competitive position. We plan to defend our proprietary technologies from infringement, misappropriation, duplication and discovery through our issued patents, our proprietary know-how, and contracts.

Our patent portfolio contains patents and patent applications that encompass each of our technologies including Pulmonary, PEGylation and SCF technologies. As of December 31, 2005, we owned 1,018 issued U.S. and foreign patents that cover various aspects of our technologies, and we have a number of patent applications

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pending. Our PEGylation patents and patent applications cover reactive PEG derivatives, PEG-drug conjugates, PEG-based pro-drugs and PEG-drug delivery vehicles. Our Pulmonary Technology patents and patent applications cover compositions and methods and apparatus for preparing, packaging, and delivering particles for pulmonary delivery of both large and small molecule drugs. Our SCF patents and patent applications cover compositions and methods apparatus for preparing particles. Although our early PEGylation technology patent applications were filed in the U.S. only, we routinely file patent applications on innovations and improvements in each of these areas on a worldwide basis. Generally, in the U.S., the term of a new patent is twenty years from the date on which the application for the patent was filed in the United States or, in certain cases, from the date an earlier related application was filed, subject to the payment of maintenance fees.

With regard to our PEGylation technology patent portfolio, we have filed patent applications directed to activated PEG reagents having a variety of structures (branched or multi-armed PEGs, forked PEGs, linear PEGs, etc.) and reactive groups, methods of producing highly pure polymer reagents, PEG pro-drugs having hydrolyzable linkages, PEG-based hydrogels and alternative gel systems and PEG conjugates of certain molecules. Patents or patent applications have issued or have been published in many of these areas.

Our Pulmonary technology patent portfolio relates to pharmaceutical compositions and reagents, medical devices and equipment and methods for preparation, packaging and delivery of our pharmaceutical compositions. This portfolio includes spray drying solutions, emulsions, and suspensions to prepare particles of various morphologies. Patents that have issued in these areas cover inhaler devices, formulations for pulmonary delivery and methods for preparing, packaging and using these formulations and particular active agent formulations for delivery via the respiratory tract.

SCF technology includes contacting an active agent solution or suspension with a supercritical fluid to precipitate active agent particles from the solution or suspension. The patents and patent applications cover both methods of forming particles and apparatus for carrying out such methods and to the extent possible are not limited to the particular product made.

The patent positions of pharmaceutical, biotechnology and drug delivery companies, including ours, involve complex legal and factual issues. There can be no assurance that patents we apply for will be issued, or that patents that are issued will be valid and enforceable. Even if such patents are enforceable, we anticipate that any attempt to enforce our patents could be time consuming and costly. Additionally, the coverage claimed in a patent application can be significantly reduced before the patent is issued. As a consequence, we do not know whether any of our pending patent applications will be granted with broad coverage or whether the claims that eventually issue or that have issued will be circumvented. Since publication of discoveries in scientific or patent literature often lag behind actual discoveries, we cannot be certain that we were the first inventor of inventions covered by our issued patents or pending patent applications or that we were the first to file patent applications for such inventions. Moreover, we may have to participate in interference proceedings in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, which could result in substantial cost to us, even if the eventual outcome is favorable. An adverse outcome could subject us to significant liabilities to third parties, require disputed rights to be licensed from or to third parties or require us to cease using the technology in dispute.

Numerous pending and issued U.S. and foreign patent rights and other proprietary rights owned by third parties relate to pharmaceutical compositions and reagents, medical devices, and equipment and methods for preparation, packaging and delivery of pharmaceutical compositions. We cannot predict with any certainty which, if any, patent will be considered relevant to our technology by authorities in the various jurisdictions where such rights exist, nor can we predict with certainty which, if any, of these rights will or may be asserted against us by third parties. There can be no assurance that we can obtain a license to any technology that we determine we need on reasonable terms, if at all, or that we could develop or otherwise obtain alternate technology. The failure to obtain licenses if needed would have a material adverse effect on us.

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We also rely upon trade secret protection for our confidential and proprietary information. No assurance can be given that others will not independently develop substantially equivalent proprietary information and techniques or otherwise gain access to our trade secrets or disclose such technology, or that we can meaningfully protect our trade secrets.

Third parties from time to time have asserted or may assert that we are infringing their proprietary rights based upon issued patents, trade secrets or know-how that they believe cover our technology. In addition, future patents may be issued to third parties that our technology may infringe. We could incur substantial costs in defending ourselves and our partners against any such claims. Furthermore, parties making such claims may be able to obtain injunctive or other equitable relief, which could effectively block our ability to develop or commercialize some or all of our products in the U.S. and abroad, and could result in the award of substantial damages. In the event of a claim of infringement, we and our partners may be required to obtain one or more licenses from third parties. There can be no assurance that our partners and we will be able to obtain such licenses at a reasonable cost, if at all. Defense of any lawsuit or failure to obtain any such required license could have a material adverse effect on us.

Our ability to develop and commercialize our technologies will be affected by our or our partners’ access to drugs that are to be formulated. Many biopharmaceutical drugs, including some of those that are presently under development by us, are subject to issued and pending U.S. and foreign patent rights which may be owned by competing entities. There can be no assurance that we or our partners will be able to provide access to drug candidates for formulation or that, if such access is provided, we or our partners will not be accused of, or determined to be, infringing a third party’s rights and will not be prohibited from working with the drug or be found liable for damages that may not be subject to indemnification. Any such restriction on access or liability for damages would have a material adverse effect on us.

It is our policy to require our employees and consultants, outside scientific collaborators, sponsored researchers and other advisors who receive confidential information from us to execute confidentiality agreements upon the commencement of employment or consulting relationships with us. These agreements provide that all confidential information developed or made known to the individual during the course of the individual’s relationship with us is to be kept confidential and not disclosed to third parties except in specific circumstances. The agreements provide that all inventions conceived by an employee shall be our property. There can be no assurance, however, that these agreements will provide meaningful protection or adequate remedies for our trade secrets in the event of unauthorized use or disclosure of such information.

Patents and Proprietary Rights

We routinely apply for patents for our innovations and for improvements to our technologies. We also rely on our trade secrets and know-how to protect our technologies and our competitive position. We plan to defend our proprietary technologies from infringement, misappropriation, duplication and discovery through our issued patents and our proprietary know-how.

Our patent portfolio contains patents and patent applications that encompass each of our technologies including Nektar Advanced PEGylation, SCF and Pulmonary technologies. Our Advanced PEGylation patents and patent applications cover reactive PEG derivatives, PEG-drug conjugates, PEG-based prodrugs and PEG-drug delivery vehicles. Our SCF patents and patent applications cover compositions and apparatuses for preparing particles using our SCF Technology. Our Pulmonary Technology patents and patent applications cover our integrated systems for pulmonary delivery of both large and small molecule drugs. Although our early Advanced PEGylation Technology patent applications were filed in the United States only, we routinely file patent applications on innovations and improvements in each of these areas on a worldwide basis. Generally, the term of a new patent is twenty years from the date on which the application for the patent was filed in the United States or, in special cases, from the date an earlier related application was filed, subject to the payment of maintenance fees.

With regard to our Advanced PEGylation Technology patent portfolio, we have filed patent applications directed to activated PEG reagents having a variety of structures (branched or multi-armed PEGs, forked PEGs, linear PEGs, etc.) and reactive groups, methods of producing highly pure polymer reagents, PEG prodrugs having hydrolysable linkages, PEG-based hydrogels and alternative gel systems and PEG conjugates of certain molecules. Patents or patent applications have issued or have been published in many of these areas.

SCF Technology involves contacting an active agent solution or suspension with a supercritical fluid to precipitate active agent particles from the solution or suspension. The patents and patent applications cover both the method of forming the particles and apparatuses for carrying out the method and are not limited to the particular product made.

Our Pulmonary Technology patent portfolio relates to pharmaceutical compositions and reagents, medical devices and equipment and methods for preparation, packaging and delivery of our pharmaceutical compositions. This portfolio involves spray drying solutions and suspensions to prepare particles of various morphologies. Patents that have issued in these areas cover our pulmonary inhaler devices, formulations for pulmonary delivery and methods for preparing, packaging and using these formulations and particular active agent formulations for delivery via the respiratory tract.

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The patent positions of pharmaceutical, biotechnology and drug delivery companies, including ours, are uncertain and involve complex legal and factual issues. There can be no assurance that patents we apply for will be issued, or that patents that are issued will be valid and enforceable. Even if such patents are enforceable, we anticipate that any attempt to enforce our patents could be time consuming and costly. Additionally, the coverage claimed in a patent application can be significantly reduced before the patent is issued. As a consequence, we do not know whether any of our pending patent applications will be granted with broad coverage or whether the claims that eventually issue or that have issued will be circumvented. Since publication of discoveries in scientific or patent literature often lag behind actual discoveries, we cannot be certain that we were the first inventor of inventions covered by our issued patents or pending patent applications or that we were the first to file patent applications for such inventions. Moreover, we may have to participate in interference proceedings declared by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, which could result in substantial cost to us, even if the eventual outcome is favorable. An adverse outcome could subject us to significant liabilities to third parties, require disputed rights to be licensed from or to third parties or require us to cease using the technology in dispute.

Numerous pending and issued U.S. and foreign patent rights and other proprietary rights owned by third parties relate to pharmaceutical compositions and reagents, medical devices, and equipment and methods for preparation, packaging and delivery of pharmaceutical compositions. We cannot predict with any certainty which, if any, patent references will be considered relevant to our technology by authorities in the various jurisdictions where such rights exist, nor can we predict with certainty which, if any, of these rights will or may be asserted against us by third parties. There can be no assurance that we can obtain a license to any technology that we determine we need on reasonable terms, if at all, or that we could develop or otherwise obtain alternate technology. The failure to obtain licenses if needed would have a material adverse effect on us.

We also rely upon trade secret protection for our confidential and proprietary information. No assurance can be given that others will not independently develop substantially equivalent proprietary information and techniques or otherwise gain access to our trade secrets or disclose such technology, or that we can meaningfully protect our trade secrets.

Third parties from time to time have asserted or may assert that we are infringing their proprietary rights based upon issued patents, trade secrets or know-how that they believe cover our technology. In addition, future patents may be issued to third parties that our technology may infringe. We could incur substantial costs in defending ourselves and our partners against any such claims. Furthermore, parties making such claims may be able to obtain injunctive or other equitable relief, which could effectively block our ability to develop or commercialize some or all of our products in the United States and abroad, and could result in the award of substantial damages. In the event of a claim of infringement, we and our partners may be required to obtain one or more licenses from third parties. There can be no assurance that our partners and we will be able to obtain such licenses at a reasonable cost, if at all. Defense of any lawsuit or failure to obtain any such required license could have a material adverse effect on us.

Our ability to develop and commercialize our technologies will be affected by our or our partners’ access to the drugs that are to be formulated. Many biopharmaceutical drugs, including some of those that are presently under development by us, are subject to issued and pending United States and foreign patent rights which may be owned by competing entities. There can be no assurance that we or our partners will be able to provide access to drug candidates for formulation or that, if such access is provided, we or our partners will not be accused of, or determined to be, infringing a third party’s rights and will not be prohibited from working with the drug or be found liable for damages that may not be subject to indemnification. Any such restriction on access or liability for damages would have a material adverse effect on us.

It is our policy to require our employees and consultants, outside scientific collaborators, sponsored researchers and other advisors who receive confidential information from us to execute confidentiality agreements upon the commencement of employment or consulting relationships with us. These agreements provide that all confidential information developed or made known to the individual during the course of the

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individual’s relationship with us is to be kept confidential and not disclosed to third parties except in specific circumstances. The agreements provide that all inventions conceived by an employee shall be our property. There can be no assurance, however, that these agreements will provide meaningful protection or adequate remedies for our trade secrets in the event of unauthorized use or disclosure of such information.

Patents and Proprietary Rights

We routinely apply for patents for our innovations and for improvements to our technologies. We also rely on our trade secrets and know-how to protect our technologies and our competitive position. We plan to defend our proprietary technologies from infringement, misappropriation, duplication and discovery through our issued patents and our proprietary know-how.

Our patent portfolio contains patents and patent applications that encompass each of our technologies including Nektar Advanced PEGylation, SCF and Pulmonary technologies. Our Advanced PEGylation patents and patent applications cover reactive PEG derivatives, PEG-drug conjugates, PEG-based prodrugs and PEG-drug delivery vehicles. Our SCF patents and patent applications cover compositions and apparatuses for preparing particles using our SCF Technology. Our Pulmonary Technology patents and patent applications cover our integrated systems for pulmonary delivery of both large and small molecule drugs. Although our early Advanced PEGylation Technology patent applications were filed in the United States only, we routinely file patent applications on innovations and improvements in each of these areas on a worldwide basis. Generally, the term of a new patent is twenty years from the date on which the application for the patent was filed in the United States or, in special cases, from the date an earlier related application was filed, subject to the payment of maintenance fees.

With regard to our Advanced PEGylation Technology patent portfolio, we have filed patent applications directed to activated PEG reagents having a variety of structures (branched or multi-armed PEGs, forked PEGs, linear PEGs, etc.) and reactive groups, methods of producing highly pure polymer reagents, PEG prodrugs having hydrolysable linkages, PEG-based hydrogels and alternative gel systems and PEG conjugates of certain molecules. Patents or patent applications have issued or have been published in many of these areas.

SCF Technology involves contacting an active agent solution or suspension with a supercritical fluid to precipitate active agent particles from the solution or suspension. The patents and patent applications cover both the method of forming the particles and apparatuses for carrying out the method and are not limited to the particular product made.

Our Pulmonary Technology patent portfolio relates to pharmaceutical compositions and reagents, medical devices and equipment and methods for preparation, packaging and delivery of our pharmaceutical compositions. This portfolio involves spray drying solutions and suspensions to prepare particles of various morphologies. Patents that have issued in these areas cover our pulmonary inhaler devices, formulations for pulmonary delivery and methods for preparing, packaging and using these formulations and particular active agent formulations for delivery via the respiratory tract.

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Table of Contents

The patent positions of pharmaceutical, biotechnology and drug delivery companies, including ours, are uncertain and involve complex legal and factual issues. There can be no assurance that patents we apply for will be issued, or that patents that are issued will be valid and enforceable. Even if such patents are enforceable, we anticipate that any attempt to enforce our patents could be time consuming and costly. Additionally, the coverage claimed in a patent application can be significantly reduced before the patent is issued. As a consequence, we do not know whether any of our pending patent applications will be granted with broad coverage or whether the claims that eventually issue or that have issued will be circumvented. Since publication of discoveries in scientific or patent literature often lag behind actual discoveries, we cannot be certain that we were the first inventor of inventions covered by our issued patents or pending patent applications or that we were the first to file patent applications for such inventions. Moreover, we may have to participate in interference proceedings declared by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, which could result in substantial cost to us, even if the eventual outcome is favorable. An adverse outcome could subject us to significant liabilities to third parties, require disputed rights to be licensed from or to third parties or require us to cease using the technology in dispute.

Numerous pending and issued U.S. and foreign patent rights and other proprietary rights owned by third parties relate to pharmaceutical compositions and reagents, medical devices, and equipment and methods for preparation, packaging and delivery of pharmaceutical compositions. We cannot predict with any certainty which, if any, patent references will be considered relevant to our technology by authorities in the various jurisdictions where such rights exist, nor can we predict with certainty which, if any, of these rights will or may be asserted against us by third parties. There can be no assurance that we can obtain a license to any technology that we determine we need on reasonable terms, if at all, or that we could develop or otherwise obtain alternate technology. The failure to obtain licenses if needed would have a material adverse effect on us.

We also rely upon trade secret protection for our confidential and proprietary information. No assurance can be given that others will not independently develop substantially equivalent proprietary information and techniques or otherwise gain access to our trade secrets or disclose such technology, or that we can meaningfully protect our trade secrets.

Third parties from time to time have asserted or may assert that we are infringing their proprietary rights based upon issued patents, trade secrets or know-how that they believe cover our technology. In addition, future patents may be issued to third parties that our technology may infringe. We could incur substantial costs in defending ourselves and our partners against any such claims. Furthermore, parties making such claims may be able to obtain injunctive or other equitable relief, which could effectively block our ability to develop or commercialize some or all of our products in the United States and abroad, and could result in the award of substantial damages. In the event of a claim of infringement, we and our partners may be required to obtain one or more licenses from third parties. There can be no assurance that our partners and we will be able to obtain such licenses at a reasonable cost, if at all. Defense of any lawsuit or failure to obtain any such required license could have a material adverse effect on us.

Our ability to develop and commercialize our technologies will be affected by our or our partners’ access to the drugs that are to be formulated. Many biopharmaceutical drugs, including some of those that are presently under development by us, are subject to issued and pending United States and foreign patent rights which may be owned by competing entities. There can be no assurance that we or our partners will be able to provide access to drug candidates for formulation or that, if such access is provided, we or our partners will not be accused of, or determined to be, infringing a third party’s rights and will not be prohibited from working with the drug or be found liable for damages that may not be subject to indemnification. Any such restriction on access or liability for damages would have a material adverse effect on us.

It is our policy to require our employees and consultants, outside scientific collaborators, sponsored researchers and other advisors who receive confidential information from us to execute confidentiality agreements upon the commencement of employment or consulting relationships with us. These agreements provide that all confidential information developed or made known to the individual during the course of the

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individual’s relationship with us is to be kept confidential and not disclosed to third parties except in specific circumstances. The agreements provide that all inventions conceived by an employee shall be our property. There can be no assurance, however, that these agreements will provide meaningful protection or adequate remedies for our trade secrets in the event of unauthorized use or disclosure of such information.