Ashish Khanna, chief business officer of Aptinyx, will take on a second role as chief financial officer of the Evanston, Illinois-based biopharmaceutical company.

Khanna will oversee Aptinyx’s finance and accounting functions, in addition to his corporate and business development responsibilities. 

He has served as chief business officer since the company was established in 2015, following a deal with pharmaceutical firm Allergan. Aptinyx spun out from predecessor company Naurex.

Khanna joined Naurex in 2010 as vice president of corporate development and helped form and spin out Aptinyx.

"During his tenure at Aptinyx and Naurex, he has been instrumental in raising nearly $300 million in equity capital, he spearheaded a transformative and industry-lauded transaction, and he continues to lead a highly productive and motivated team that has impact across our organization,” Aptinyx President and CEO Norbert Riedel said.

Khanna previously worked at Vanda Pharmaceuticals as business development director and at Cordis Corp. as a member of the cardiology strategic marketing team. Prior to that, he served as a strategy consultant at Palladium Group and within the strategic advisory services practice of Ernst & Young.