BioCryst Pharmaceuticals has appointed Babar Ghias as chief financial officer and head of corporate development, marking a strategic leadership addition as the rare disease-focused biotechnology company seeks to accelerate its growth trajectory and deploy capital for expansion initiatives.
Ghias joins BioCryst from AvenCell Therapeutics, a clinical-stage CAR-T company focused on hematologic malignancies, where he served as CFO since 2022. The appointment reflects BioCryst's commitment to strengthening its financial leadership as it capitalizes on the commercial success of ORLADEYO, its oral treatment for hereditary angioedema.
Extensive Experience in Rare Disease Finance
"Babar brings extensive deal making and operational experience in addition to his previous roles as a CFO at rare disease companies. The addition of these skills and expertise to the leadership team are exactly what we need at this time as we look to deploy capital and accelerate our path to sustainable growth and increasing value that continues well into the next decade," said Jon Stonehouse, chief executive officer of BioCryst.
Ghias brings a proven track record in biotechnology finance and corporate development. Previously, he served as executive vice president of investments and portfolio management at Paragon Biosciences, a global biotech development firm, where he also held chief financial and operating officer roles for several portfolio companies. At Paragon, he successfully launched four biotechnology companies focused on rare diseases, guiding them from early clinical stages to successful commercial launch.
From 2014 to 2017, Ghias served as CFO and head of corporate development at Marathon Pharmaceuticals, a specialty rare disease company, where he prepared the company for commercial launch and led its successful sale. Throughout his career, he has raised over $1 billion in capital for the companies he has been involved with.
Investment Banking Background
Earlier in his career, Ghias spent over a decade as an investment banker, serving as a senior member of the mergers and acquisitions team at Credit Suisse. In this role, he provided strategic advice to clients and boards of directors in the healthcare and life sciences industries, successfully closing over $80 billion in transactions.
Strategic Growth Focus
"I am thrilled to join BioCryst at such a pivotal time in its growth journey. The strong commercial momentum from ORLADEYO alongside the advancing pipeline and the opportunity to deploy capital behind new growth initiatives present an enormous opportunity for building long term value. I look forward to partnering with the leadership team to drive operational excellence and financial discipline, and support our ambitious growth plans," Ghias said.
About BioCryst's Platform
BioCryst Pharmaceuticals is a global biotechnology company with a deep commitment to improving the lives of people living with hereditary angioedema and other rare diseases. The company leverages its expertise in structure-guided drug design to develop first-in-class or best-in-class oral small-molecule and protein therapeutics to target difficult-to-treat diseases. BioCryst has commercialized ORLADEYO (berotralstat), the first oral, once-daily plasma kallikrein inhibitor, and is advancing a pipeline of small-molecule and protein therapies.
Ghias earned his M.B.A. with honors from Washington University in St. Louis and holds a B.S. in economics from Lahore University of Management Sciences in Pakistan.
