PITTSBURGH, Jan. 21, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Krystal Biotech, Inc. (Nasdaq:KRYS), a gene therapy company developing medicines to treat rare diseases, today announced the appointment of Jennifer Chien to the newly created position of chief commercial officer, effective January 20, 2020. Ms. Chien has more than 20 years of commercial leadership experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, most recently having served as vice president, head of genetic diseases at Sanofi Genzyme.

“We are excited to welcome Jennifer to Krystal Biotech as we look forward to launching KB103, for the treatment of dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa, in 2021,” said Krish S. Krishnan, chairman and chief executive officer of Krystal Biotech. “Jennifer’s leadership and broad experience launching new medicines will be critical as we continue to build the commercial capabilities needed to become a sustainable, fully-integrated, multi-product gene therapy company.”

Jennifer Chien, chief commercial officer of Krystal Biotech commented, “I am thrilled to join Krystal Biotech at such a pivotal time. My decision to join was based off Krystal’s promising technology platform, its rare disease pipeline and the people at Krystal who share a commitment to developing breakthrough medicines to patients with debilitating diseases. I look forward to working with the team to build a leading commercial organization and advance treatment options for the benefit of patients.”

As vice president, head of genetic diseases at Sanofi Genzyme, Ms. Chien was responsible for the U.S. commercial strategy and implementation for seven brands and preparation for upcoming launches within rare diseases. During her tenure at Sanofi Genzyme, she also held global leadership roles as VP, head of global nephrological diseases, senior director global marketing Fabry disease, senior director global market access and international marketing for the cardiovascular business, in addition to leading business development efforts within various therapeutic areas. Ms. Chien holds a B.S. degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a MPH degree from Harvard University.

About Krystal Biotech

Krystal Biotech, Inc. (NASDAQ:KRYS) is a gene therapy company dedicated to developing and commercializing novel treatments for patients suffering from rare diseases. For more information, please visit http://www.krystalbio.com.