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Tristan Manalac

Tristan Manalac

Senior Staff Writer

Tristan is BioSpace‘s senior staff writer. Based in Metro Manila, Tristan has more than eight years of experience writing about medicine, biotech and science. Being formally trained in molecular biology, he once dreamed of collecting degrees and starting his own lab. But these days, he finds his greatest joy in a bottle of beer and a beautiful sentence. He can be reached at tristan.manalac@biospace.com, tristan@tristanmanalac.com or on LinkedIn.

Pictured: Signage outside Gilead's headquarters in California
Drug Development
Gilead’s Magrolimab Ineffective, Linked to Increase Risk of Death in MDS Patients
A final analysis of Gilead Sciences’ now-discontinued Phase III ENHANCE study showed a worrying trend of increased death risk in myelodysplastic syndromes patients treated with magrolimab.
June 17, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Nasdaq advertisements on Times Square in New York City
Deals
Telix Abandons IPO Plans at Last Minute, Cites ‘Current Market Conditions’
Telix abruptly pulled the plug on its initial public offering plans to begin trading Friday on the Nasdaq, saying the company “did not feel that the proposed discounts were aligned with its duty to its existing shareholders.”
June 14, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: The Berlaymont building in Belgium, which houses the European Commission
Policy
EU Says India’s Alchem Is Part of International Drug Price-Fixing Cartel
The European Commission has tagged India-based pharma Alchem as being part of a global cartel that coordinates the pricing of a pharmaceutical ingredient in the antispasmodic drug Buscopan.
June 14, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: The U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, DC
Policy
SCOTUS Upholds Access to Abortion Pill, Pharma Industry Applauds Court’s Ruling
The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday upheld access to the abortion pill mifepristone, unanimously rejecting a challenge by a group of anti-abortion doctors seeking to undo the FDA’s approval of the drug.
June 14, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: BMS office in San Diego, California
FDA
BMS’ Augtyro Wins FDA Accelerated Approval for NTRK-Positive Solid Tumors
Based on promising response data from the Phase I/II TRIDENT-1 study, the FDA on Thursday granted Bristol Myers Squibb’s Augtyro accelerated approval for NTRK-positive locally advanced or metastatic solid tumors.
June 14, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
3d render of an immune system T cell killing a cancer cell
Drug Development
Secondary Cancer Risk Is Low After CAR T Cell Treatment: Stanford Study
Results of a large Stanford Medicine study, published Wednesday in The New England Journal of Medicine, finds CAR-T therapies carry a low risk of secondary malignancies not related to the T cells.
June 13, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Photo illustration of hundred dollar bill and graph
Foresite Raises $900M in Sixth Fund to Invest in Life Science Startups
Among the biggest raises this year, Foresite Capital’s $900 million fund will support biotech companies working in precision medicine and life science infrastructure.
June 13, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Liver damage such as Fatty liver, Fibrosis, Cirrhosis, and Liver cancer. 3d illustration
Drug Development
Coherus, Junshi’s PD-1 Blocker Loqtorzi Aces Phase III Liver Cancer Trial
Coherus BioSciences and Junshi Biosciences’ PD-1 inhibitor Loqtorzi significantly boosted progression-free and overall survival in a late-stage study of patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.
June 13, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
New York City, NY, USA - August 22, 2022: Pfizer world headquarters in New York City, USA. Pfizer Inc. is an American multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation.
Drug Development
Pfizer’s Gene Therapy for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Fails Phase III Trial
Pfizer’s investigational Duchenne muscular dystrophy gene therapy, fordadistrogene movaparvovec, failed in a late-stage study to significantly improve motor function in patients versus placebo.
June 13, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
The United States Capitol building with the dome lit up at night.
Policy
BIOSECURE Act Left Out of Department of Defense Spending Bill by House Rules Committee
The BIOSECURE Act, which seeks to protect U.S. national security from Chinese biotech companies, will not be part of the House of Representatives vote on the 2025 fiscal year National Defense Authorization Act.
June 12, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: A scientist with pill bottles in front of FDA headquarters/Taylor Tieden for BioSpace
Policy
FDA Action Alert: Merck, BMS, Sarepta and More
The FDA has a packed calendar this week, with six decisions on the docket, including ones for Merck’s Keytruda, BMS’s Krazati and Sarepta’s Elevidys.
June 12, 2024
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4 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Facade of courthouse with columns.
Policy
Teva Loses Inhaler Patent Case Against Amneal, Must Delete or Amend Orange Book Listing
Teva Pharmaceuticals lost its patent row with Amneal Pharmaceuticals on Monday as a New Jersey court ruled that some of Teva’s claims over its inhaler product ProAir HFA were improperly listed on the FDA’s Orange Book.
June 12, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Merck Research Laboratories headquarters building in Silicon Valley. An experimental covis-19 treatment pill called molnupiravir being developed by Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics - South San Francisco, CA, USA - 2021
Drug Development
Merck Eyes Next-Generation Obesity Drugs That Offer Additional Benefits
Seeking to target the lucrative obesity market, Merck is focusing its R&D efforts on next-generation GLP-1 therapies that offer additional benefits beyond weight loss, according to company executives.
June 12, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Corporate headquarters of Novo Nordisk. A pharmaceutical company headquartered in Denmark. Copenhagen, Denmark - august 12, 2023.
Policy
Sanders Seeks Subpoena for Novo Nordisk President Regarding Ozempic, Wegovy Pricing
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), chair of the Senate health committee, has proposed issuing a subpoena to Novo Nordisk President Doug Langa forcing him to testify regarding the company’s pricing for Wegovy and Ozempic.
June 12, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: 3D illustration of an intestine undergoi
Business
Syntis Bio Launches in Effort to Challenge GLP-1s in Lucrative Weight Loss Market
Seeking to carve out its own niche in the obesity space, Syntis Bio launched on Tuesday to develop an oral weight-loss treatment that mimics the effects of gastric bypass surgery.
June 11, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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