Birmingham, Alabama – March 3, 1998 -- BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq NM: BCRX), today announced the appointment of John R. Uhrin to Vice President of Corporate Development. Mr. Uhrin joins BioCryst with 21 years of sales and marketing experience in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical, and managed care industries.

"John is an outstanding addition to BioCryst," said Charles E. Bugg, Ph.D., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of BioCryst. "He brings a wealth of business experience and an in-depth understanding of the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries."

Mr. Uhrin joins BioCryst following 11 years of service at Genentech, Inc., a California-based biotechnology company. Most recently, he was Director of Special Markets/Managed Care. In that capacity, he coordinated all sales and managed care executives in a multi-state region and Puerto Rico. He also acted as principal negotiator for several million dollar managed care contracts.

In his position at BioCryst, Mr. Uhrin will focus on licensing the Company’s drug candidates and programs, building and managing the Company’s academic and commercial collaborations, and contractual arrangements with corporate partners. In addition, he will be responsible for public and investor relations as well as the development of commercialization strategies.

Founded in 1986, BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. designs and develops novel small-molecule pharmaceuticals using structure-based drug design, an approach to drug discovery that integrates advanced biology, biophysics, and medicinal chemistry. BioCryst is in clinical trials with its purine nucleoside phosphorylase inhibitor drug candidate, BCX-34, for T-cell related disorders such as psoriasis, cutaneous T-cell lymphoma and HIV. Additionally, the Company’s serine protease inhibitor drug candidate, BCX-1470, designed to inhibit activation of the complement pathway, is in an initial clinical trial. BioCryst is also pursuing a preclinical development program with drugs designed to inhibit the influenza neuraminidase enzyme associated with flu infection.

This press release contains projections or other forward-looking statements regarding future events or the future financial performance of the Company. These statements are only predictions and the actual events or results may differ materially. Please refer to the documents BioCryst files from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, specifically BioCryst’s most recent Form 10-K and Form 10-Q. These documents contain and identify important factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those contained in the projections or forward-looking statements.