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Tristan Manalac

Tristan Manalac

Contributing Writer | News

Tristan is an independent science writer based in Metro Manila, with 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: Doctor aspirating a patient's bone marro
Drug Development
Roivant to Shutter MDS-Focused ‘Vant’ After Disappointing Phase I/II Trial Results
Roivant Sciences will wind down operations for Hemavant, which was formed two years ago to advance RVT-2001 as a potential first-in-class treatment for transfusion-dependent anemia in patients with lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes.
February 14, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: FDA signage at its office in Washington, DC
FDA
FDA Approves Ipsen’s Onivyde as First-Line Treatment in Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer
Approved in combination with three chemotherapies, Onivyde is the first new frontline treatment option in more than 10 years for adults living with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma.
February 14, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Roche Diagnostics building in California
Business
Roche Returns Solid Tumor Asset to Repare Weeks After $40M Milestone Payment
Citing a pipeline review and “evolving” external factors, Roche has returned the potentially best-in-class camonsertib to Repare Therapeutics, which will continue to evaluate the asset in various tumor types.
February 13, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Biogen's headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Policy
Biogen Reaps Rewards of Reata Buyout with EU Approval for Skyclarys in Friedreich’s Ataxia
Following Biogen’s $7.3 billion acquisition of Reata Pharmaceuticals in July 2023, the drug on Monday was approved in the European Union for treating the rare genetic disorder that causes progressive damage to the nervous system.
February 13, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Doctor holding a brain scan with an elde
Drug Development
Otsuka Drug Candidate Fails Phase III Alzheimer’s Agitation Study
AVP-786 was unable to significantly reduce total scores in the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory versus placebo, Otsuka Pharmaceuticals reported Monday. The company is evaluating the next steps for the drug combination.
February 13, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: The inside of a federal courtroom/iStock
Policy
Texas Court Dismisses PhRMA IRA Lawsuit Against Biden Administration
On Monday, the Biden administration got an early victory in pharma’s legal challenge to the Inflation Reduction Act, with a Texas judge dismissing a complaint from the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.
February 13, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: CSL's building in Prague, Czech Republic
Drug Development
CSL Heart Attack Hopeful Fails to Meet Primary Endpoint in Phase III Trial
CSL’s investigational cholesterol efflux enhancer CSL112 failed to reduce major adverse cardiovascular events within 90 days in patients who had just suffered a heart attack.
February 12, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Nasdaq headquarters in New York/iStock,
Deals
Bayer, Moderna-Backed Metagenomi’s Stock Crashes 31% in Friday IPO Debut
Shares of preclinical genetic medicines company Metagenomi tanked more than 30% on Friday afternoon in a disappointing debut for its initial public offering, bucking the trend of positive IPOs so far this year.
February 12, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Woman scratching her wrist/iStock, Image
Business
Medicxi Combines Six Portfolio Companies with $100M to Launch Alys Pharma
Merging six of its portfolio biotechs, Medicxi on Monday unveiled Alys Pharmaceuticals, an immuno-dermatology focused company seeking to deliver up to 10 proof-of-concept readouts by the end of 2026.
February 12, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Facade of Novo Nordisk's office in Fremont, California
Policy
Novo Claims First Victories in Legal Fight Against Compounded Semaglutide
Two Florida courts have sided with Novo Nordisk against Ekzotika and Effinger Health, agreeing that their compounded versions of semaglutide are against the law. The Danish pharma has reached confidential settlements with both companies.
February 12, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Facade of Takeda's office in Massachusetts
Drug Development
Takeda Pushes One Narcolepsy Program into Phase III, Discontinues Another
Following promising Phase IIb studies, Takeda will advance its oral ORX2 agonist TAK-861 into Phase III studies for narcolepsy type 1, while nixing the candidate’s development in narcolepsy type 2.
February 9, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Nasdaq building in Time Square
Deals
Kyverna’s Stock Price Surges Nearly 60% After Successful Upsized IPO
Investors drove up the price of Kyverna Therapeutics’ stock by 59% in its initial public offering on Thursday afternoon, the first day of trading, reaching a peak per-share price of $35.01.
February 9, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: 3D illustration of stem cells used for cell therapy
Neurona Raises $120M, Buoyed by Early-Stage Data for Epilepsy Cell Therapy
Neurona Therapeutics will use the funds to advance its investigational regenerative neural cell therapy NRTX-1001 for mesial temporal lobe epilepsy, the most common form of focal epilepsy.
February 9, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Nasdaq headquarters in New York/iStock,
Deals
Kyverna’s $319M Upsized IPO Is Latest in Surge of Biotechs Going Public
On Thursday, Kyverna Therapeutics is debuting on the Nasdaq with an upsized initial public offering which the biotech will use to support its pipeline of anti-CD19 CAR T therapy candidates.
February 8, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
External view of AstraZeneca's production plant in Sweden
Business
AstraZeneca Sees 6% Revenue Growth in 2023 Despite Plummeting COVID-19 Sales
Thursday’s full-year financial results from AstraZeneca showed a revenue crash of more than 90% for COVID-19 medicines, while cancer, cardiovascular and rare diseases all generated double-digit revenue growth.
February 8, 2024
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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