Krystal Biotech
Rare disease drugmaker · based in Pittsburgh, United States · founded 2016 · ticker KRYS · krystalbio.com
Krystal Biotech works on 3 rare diseases we track, including Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency, Cystic Fibrosis and 1 more. It has 5 active clinical trials, and all of them are looking for volunteers now. It also has 1 FDA-approved rare disease drug.
Krystal Biotech is a Pittsburgh gene therapy company founded in 2016 by the husband-and-wife team of Krish Krishnan, its chairman and CEO, and Suma Krishnan, its president of research and development.
Krystal Biotech pipeline
Each row lists the diseases Krystal Biotech is studying at that stage, from the ones closest to approval down to the earliest work.
Epidermolysis Bullosa recruiting
Cystic Fibrosis recruiting · Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency recruiting
Epidermolysis Bullosa 2 trials recruiting
Krystal Biotech clinical trials
These are Krystal Biotech trials for the rare diseases we track, from ClinicalTrials.gov. Statuses there can lag behind company news, so confirm with the study team before you plan around one.
5 trials looking for volunteers now
A Study Assessing KB407 for the Treatment of Cystic Fibrosis
Tests KB407 (Nebulization)
For Cystic Fibrosis
A Study Comparing KB803 and Matched Placebo in Patients With Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa
Tests KB803, Placebo
For Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa, DEB - Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa, Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa and Dominant Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa
A Study of KB408 for the Treatment of Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency
Tests KB408 (Nebulization)
For Alpha 1-Antitrypsin Deficiency
A Natural History Study of Corneal Abrasions in Patients With Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa (DEB)
For Epidermolysis Bullosa Dystrophica, Epidermolysis Bullosa Dystrophica, Recessive and Epidermolysis Bullosa Dystrophica Dominans
Long-Term Follow-up Protocol
For Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa, Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa and Dominant Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa
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FDA-approved drugs from Krystal Biotech
From the openFDA database. Tap a drug for side effects, dosing and help paying.
Vyjuvek vyjuvek
For Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency and Epidermolysis Bullosa.
More about Krystal Biotech
Its idea is simple to state and was hard to pull off: use a disabled herpes simplex virus (HSV-1) as a delivery vehicle that can carry a full-size healthy gene into cells, can be given again and again because it does not trigger the immune response that limits other gene therapy vectors, and can be applied as a gel, an eye drop, or an inhaled mist rather than an intravenous infusion.
Krystal makes everything itself at two facilities in the Pittsburgh area, ANCORIS and ASTRA, and trades on Nasdaq under KRYS.
The proof is VYJUVEK (beremagene geperpavec-svdt), approved by the FDA on May 19, 2023 as the first redosable gene therapy and the first treatment to address the root cause of dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa, a genetic skin disease in which a missing collagen protein (COL7A1) leaves the skin so fragile that it blisters and tears from minor friction.
VYJUVEK is a topical gel applied to wounds by a nurse, a caregiver, or the patient at home, and it delivers working copies of the COL7A1 gene to skin cells so they can produce the missing collagen. A September 2025 label update extended it to patients from birth. It is also approved in Europe (April 2025), Japan (July 2025), and the United Kingdom (May 2026).
Keep reading about Krystal Biotech
Sales reached $389 million in 2025 and $236 million in the first half of 2026, and the company ended June 2026 with $1.1 billion in cash.
Krystal is now applying the same vector to the eye, the lung, and other skin diseases. KB803, an eye-drop version of VYJUVEK for the painful corneal abrasions many people with dystrophic EB experience, finished enrolling its pivotal IOLITE study in April 2026 with results expected in the fourth quarter of 2026.
KB801, an eye drop that produces nerve growth factor, is in a registrational trial for neurotrophic keratitis with data expected around the end of 2026. In the lung, KB407 is an inhaled therapy that delivers the CFTR gene for cystic fibrosis, aimed first at the roughly 10% of patients who cannot take or do not benefit from CFTR modulator pills.
In January 2026 Krystal reported that the therapy reached airway cells and produced normal CFTR protein in treated patients; a repeat-dose safety study is underway, and the company plans to agree on a registrational trial design with the FDA in late 2026 and start it in 2027. KB408 delivers the SERPINA1 gene for alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency and is enrolling a repeat-dose cohort, with results now expected in 2027.
KB111 for Hailey-Hailey disease, a rare blistering skin disorder, started its first study in 2026 with early results expected before year end.
In oncology, an inhaled version of KB707, which prompts lung tumors to produce immune-stimulating proteins, showed a 31% response rate in combination with pembrolizumab in heavily pretreated lung cancer at ASCO 2026, and a related program was expanded in 2026 to Gorlin syndrome, a genetic condition that causes hundreds of basal cell skin cancers over a lifetime.
One program has gone quiet: KB105 for a form of congenital ichthyosis has not appeared in the company's updates since early 2025 and should be considered dormant.
Where Krystal Biotech trials take place
The trials above run at 18 study sites in 1 country. Tap a country to see its states, cities and hospitals.
Rare diseases Krystal Biotech works on
Each disease page lists every open trial, not only Krystal Biotech's, plus approved treatments.
Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency
Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency is a genetic disorder affecting the lungs and liver, caused by insufficient production of the protective protein alpha-1 antitrypsin.
How common: 1 in 1,500 to 3,500 people of European ancestry; about 100,000 people in the U.S
Cystic fibrosis is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder affecting the CFTR protein, which normally regulates chloride transport.
How common: Nearly 40,000 children and adults in the U.S.; 1 in 2,500 to 3,500 births among Caucasians
Epidermolysis bullosa is a group of rare genetic blistering disorders caused by mutations affecting proteins anchoring the epidermis to the dermis.
How common: 1 in 50,000 births; approximately 25,000-30,000 Americans affected
Where to get support
Patient groups can explain a diagnosis, point you to specialists and tell you about trials before they open. Krystal Biotech's own site is krystalbio.com, and our help paying for treatment page lists drugmaker programs and charity funds.
- NIH GARD - Alpha-1 Antitrypsin DeficiencyAlpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency and Cystic Fibrosis and 1 more
- The Alpha-1 FoundationAlpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency
- Cystic Fibrosis FoundationCystic Fibrosis
- Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa Research Association (DEBRA)Epidermolysis Bullosa