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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: Man in suit holding up his hand in a sto
Policy
Two Patient Deaths Force Vertex to Pause Diabetes Trial
The patient deaths were deemed unrelated to Vertex’s investigational islet cell therapy, but the study will be halted while regulatory authorities and an independent data monitoring committee review the findings.
January 8, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: bluebird bio logo on wall/device, courtesy of Pavlo Gonchar
Bluebird Secures Second Big Outcomes-Based Coverage Contract for Lyfgenia
Under the deal disclosed Thursday in an SEC filing, bluebird bio doubled the number of covered U.S. patients for its sickle cell gene therapy to a cumulative total of around 200 million people.
January 5, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Update: AbbVie headquarters building in California
Business
AbbVie Inks Two CAR-T Deals Worth Up to $1.4B with Umoja, Targets Multiple Cancers
The two agreements announced Thursday will allow AbbVie to leverage Umoja Biopharma’s VivoVec delivery platform, which enables patients’ cells to produce their own cancer-fighting CAR-T cells.
January 5, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: FDA sign at its office in Washington, DC/iStock, JHVEPhoto
Policy
FDA Probes GLP-1 Receptor Agonists on Reports of Suicidal Thoughts, Hair Loss
The regulator is launching an investigation of Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy, Eli Lilly’s Zepbound and other GLP-1 receptor agonists following patient reports of suicidal ideation, alopecia and aspiration.
January 5, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Facade of Novo Nordisk's office in Fremont, California
Business
Novo Deepens Obesity, MASH Expertise in Deals Worth $1B with Two Flagship Biotechs
Novo Nordisk’s partnerships with Flagship Pioneering-backed Omega and Cellarity, each worth up to $532 million, will explore novel treatment approaches to obesity and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis.
January 4, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Pfizer office in Brussels, Belgium/iStoc
Policy
Pfizer’s Hemophilia B Gene Therapy Wins Approval in Canada, FDA Decision Looms
With a PDUFA date in the second quarter of 2024, Pfizer is poised to compete with CSL Behring, whose Hemgenix became the first FDA-approved gene therapy for hemophilia B in November 2022.
January 4, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: CVS Health's signage outside its office in Texas
CVS to Remove AbbVie’s Humira from Reimbursement Lists, Cover Biosimilars
The pharmacy benefit management subsidiary of CVS Health is favoring Humira’s biosimilars for its major formularies, with AbbVie’s branded product to be nixed on April 1, 2024.
January 4, 2024
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Boehringer Ingelheim's office in California
Business
Boehringer Inks Potential $2B Deal with Ribo, Targets NASH-MASH with siRNA Therapies
In a collaboration agreement announced Wednesday, Boehringer Ingelheim will gain access to Ribo’s platform to target hepatocytes with investigational siRNA therapies for nonalcoholic or metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis.
January 3, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: FDA signage at its office in Washington, DC
FDA
FDA Approvals Jumped 50% in 2023 Dominated by Novel Drug Nods for Pfizer
The regulator greenlit 55 new drugs last year, seven of which belonged to Pfizer, including an ulcerative colitis treatment and a migraine nasal spray—both acquired in multibillion-dollar buys.
January 3, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Bar and line graphs showing increasing t
Drug Development
Longboard Stock Skyrockets on Positive Epilepsy Data, Plans $150M Public Offering
Patients treated with Longboard Pharmaceuticals’ bexicaserin saw a 32.5% drop in the frequency of countable motor seizures relative to placebo in a Phase 1b/IIa study. The company’s shares soared 316% Tuesday on the news.
January 3, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Facade of Novartis building in Switzerland
Business
Novartis Inks Potential $1.3B Gene Therapy Deal with Voyager to Target Neuro
The Swiss pharma is looking to leverage Voyager Therapeutics’ capsid technology for gene therapies aimed at treating Huntington’s disease and spinal muscular atrophy.
January 2, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Businessmen shaking hands after closing a deal
Deals
Biopharma Closes 2023 with Flurry of M&A Activity from AstraZeneca, BMS, Roche
All three companies closed out the year, which saw significant growth in mergers and acquisitions, with high-value deals that could potentially set the tone for M&A in 2024.
January 2, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Medicines on dollar bills/iStock, Julia_
Pfizer, Sanofi, Takeda Look to Hike Drug Prices This Month: Reuters
Amid the Biden administration’s efforts to reduce drug prices, Reuters reported in an exclusive that several pharmaceutical companies will raise pharma prices in January 2024.
January 2, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: BMS sign on a building in San Diego, California/iStock, JHVEPhoto
Deals
BMS Closes the Year with $14B Karuna Buy to Bolster Neuro Portfolio
The acquisition announced on Friday will give Bristol Myers Squibb ownership of Karuna Therapeutics’ investigational antipsychotic KarXT, which is being tested for schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease psychosis.
December 22, 2023
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Man sitting on a bed looking stressed
Drug Development
Jazz’s Future in PTSD Left Uncertain Following Mid-Stage Trial Failure
In a Phase II study, Jazz Pharmaceuticals’ investigational fatty acid amide hydrolase inhibitor JZP150 did not significantly improve post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms compared to placebo.
December 22, 2023
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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