Krystal Biotech Announces RMAT Designation Granted by FDA to KB707 for the Treatment of Advanced or Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Rhea-AI Summary
Krystal Biotech (NASDAQ: KRYS) announced on February 9, 2026 that the FDA granted RMAT designation to KB707 for treatment of advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The designation recognizes preliminary clinical activity from the ongoing KYANITE-1 trial and offers expedited development benefits such as rolling review and intensive FDA interaction. Enrollment in KYANITE-1 continues; additional data will be presented at upcoming scientific conferences and the trial is listed as NCT06228326.
Positive
- FDA granted RMAT designation to KB707 on February 9, 2026
- RMAT provides Fast Track and Breakthrough-like benefits for development
- KYANITE-1 showed durable responses and meaningful tumor reductions
- This is Krystal's second RMAT designation, signaling regulatory progress
Negative
- KYANITE-1 enrollment is ongoing, so evidence remains preliminary
- No regulatory approval or pivotal readout announced yet
News Market Reaction
On the day this news was published, KRYS declined 0.05%, reflecting a mild negative market reaction. This price movement removed approximately $4M from the company's valuation, bringing the market cap to $7.91B at that time.
Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.
Key Figures
Market Reality Check
Peers on Argus
KRYS was up 1.91% while close peers showed mixed moves (e.g., ARWR -1.5%, ACAD -2%, MIRM +0.45%). This pattern points to stock-specific dynamics rather than a sector-wide move.
Historical Context
| Date | Event | Sentiment | Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 08 | Clinical update | Positive | +1.0% | Positive interim KB407 Phase 1 CORAL-1 cystic fibrosis data with CFTR delivery. |
| Jan 07 | Clinical call setup | Neutral | -1.2% | Announcement of investor call to discuss highest dose CORAL-1 KB407 data. |
| Jan 05 | Conference appearance | Neutral | -0.9% | Planned presentation at 44th J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference with investor meetings. |
| Nov 26 | Conference appearance | Neutral | +0.8% | Participation in 8th Evercore Healthcare Conference with fireside chat and meetings. |
| Nov 03 | Earnings report | Positive | +0.2% | Strong Q3 2025 results with high VYJUVEK revenue, margins and cash balance. |
Recent news, including clinical and earnings updates, has produced relatively modest single-day price reactions, with mostly aligned sentiment and market response.
Over the past several months, KRYS has reported multiple clinical and financial milestones. A positive KB407 interim update on Jan 8, 2026 led to a +1.03% move, while the preceding update call announcement on Jan 7, 2026 saw a -1.21% reaction. Conference participation news on Jan 5, 2026 and Nov 26, 2025 drove small moves within 1%. Third-quarter 2025 earnings on Nov 3, 2025 with strong revenue and cash figures corresponded to a modest +0.17% move. Overall, KRYS has historically shown contained single-day reactions to both clinical and financial disclosures.
Market Pulse Summary
This announcement highlights that KB707 for advanced NSCLC received RMAT designation, giving KRYS enhanced interaction with the FDA and potential expedited pathways. In recent history, clinical updates and earnings reports have produced relatively modest single-day moves, such as +1.03% on a KB407 interim readout and +0.17% on Q3 2025 results. Investors may watch upcoming KYANITE-1 data disclosures, regulatory interactions, and broader pipeline progress as key markers of how this designation translates into future milestones.
Key Terms
regenerative medicine advanced therapy (rmat) designation regulatory
non-small cell lung cancer medical
tumor microenvironment medical
interleukin-2 medical
interleukin-12 medical
fast track regulatory
breakthrough therapy regulatory
accelerated approval regulatory
AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.
PITTSBURGH, Feb. 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Krystal Biotech, Inc. (the “Company”) (NASDAQ: KRYS) announced today that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy (RMAT) designation to KB707, the Company’s redosable immunotherapy designed to drive sustained, localized expression of interleukin-2 and interleukin-12 in the tumor microenvironment, for the treatment of advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
“The FDA’s decision to grant RMAT designation to KB707 reflects both the urgent unmet need for new NSCLC therapies as well as the promising early clinical evidence of efficacy we have observed with inhaled KB707 in patients with advanced NSCLC,” said Suma Krishnan, President of Research and Development at Krystal Biotech. “This is the second RMAT designation granted to a Krystal program and, as such, we know first-hand the benefits that this designation can provide to accelerate development and shorten the path to a potential approval. We are excited to work closely with the FDA to maximize the potential impact of our KB707 program for patients with NSCLC.”
The FDA’s RMAT designation is intended to support and expedite the development of regenerative medicine therapies, including gene therapies. An investigational regenerative medicine therapy is eligible for the RMAT designation if it is intended to treat, modify, reverse or cure a serious or life-threatening disease or condition and preliminary clinical evidence indicates potential to address unmet medical needs for that disease or condition. The designation provides all the benefits of the FDA's Fast Track and Breakthrough Therapy designations, including potential for rolling review, intensive FDA guidance and interaction, and organizational commitment from senior managers at the FDA, as well as the ability to work more closely and frequently with the FDA to discuss innovative trial designs, surrogate or intermediate endpoints to support potential accelerated approval, and novel approaches to satisfy post-approval requirements.
Data to support the FDA’s RMAT designation included early clinical evidence from the Company’s ongoing KYANITE-1 study that demonstrated consistent and meaningful antitumor activity, including durable responses and clinically significant tumor reductions, in patients with heavily pre-treated advanced NSCLC receiving inhaled KB707. Enrollment in KYANITE-1 is ongoing, and further details will be presented at upcoming scientific conferences. Additional details about the study can be found at www.clinicaltrials.gov under NCT identifier NCT06228326.
About Krystal Biotech, Inc.
Krystal Biotech, Inc. (NASDAQ: KRYS) is a fully integrated, commercial-stage, global biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of genetic medicines to treat diseases with high unmet medical needs. VYJUVEK®, the Company’s first commercial product, is the first-ever redosable gene therapy and the first genetic medicine approved in the United States, Europe, and Japan for the treatment of dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa. The Company is rapidly advancing a robust preclinical and clinical pipeline of investigational genetic medicines. Krystal Biotech is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. For more information, please visit http://www.krystalbio.com, and follow @KrystalBiotech on LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter).
CONTACT
Investors and Media:
Stéphane Paquette, PhD
Krystal Biotech
spaquette@krystalbio.com