# John Higgins

> John Higgins is a startup investor at Ligand Pharmaceuticals. See 0 investments, check sizes, portfolio. Updated Aug 2026.

- Type: Angel Investor
- Fund: [Ligand Pharmaceuticals](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/ligand-pharmaceuticals)
- Last updated: Aug 2026

John Higgins is a startup investor at Ligand Pharmaceuticals. John L. Higgins has over 14 years of corporate development, financing, strategic planning, commercialization, and investment banking experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. He is the chief executive officer of medical needs in the United States.Prior to joining Ligand, Higgins was the chief financial officer; and executive vice president of finance, administration, and corporate development at Connetics Corporation, a public specialty pharmaceutical company, until its acquisition by Stiefel Laboratories, Inc. in 2006. During his service period of nearly 10 years at Connetics, he played a key leadership role in numerous strategic initiatives, including major acquisitions, divestitures, multiple product and technology licensing transactions, and financings.Prior to joining Connetics, Higgins was the executive vice president of corporate development at BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and was a member of the health care investment banking team at Dillon, Read & Company, Inc. He has served numerous public and private corporate boards and currently is a director at BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. where he serves as chairman of the audit committee.Higgins earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Colgate University.

## About Ligand Pharmaceuticals

VC Fund · San Diego, United States

Ligand is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing or acquiring technologies that help pharmaceutical companies discover and develop medicines. Ligand business model creates value for stockholders by providing a diversified portfolio of biotech and pharmaceutical product revenue streams that are supported by an efficient and low corporatecost structure. Ligand's goal is to offer investors an opportunity to participate in the promise of the biotech industry in a profitable, diversified, and lower-risk business than a typical biotech company. Ligand business model is based on doing what we do best: drug discovery, early-stage drug development, product reformulation, and partnering. Ligand partner with other pharmaceutical companies to leverage what they do best (late-stage development, regulatory management, and commercialization) to ultimately generate Ligand revenue.

5 contacts available at Ligand Pharmaceuticals.

| Name | Title | Profile |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Bob Chen | Director, Systems Engineering and Site Head | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/bob-chen-4a5d |
| David J. Mangelsdorf | Team Member | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/david-j-mangelsdorf |
| John Higgins | CEO | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/john-l-higgins |
| Richard Baxter | Senior Vice President of Investment Operations | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/richard-baxter-8ec4 |
| Todd C. Davis | Chief Executive Officer & Director | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/todd-c-davis |

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