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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: Woman stepping on a weighing scale/iStoc
Drug Development
Altimmune Joins Weight-Loss Race with Phase II Win, Stock Jumps on News
Patients treated with Altimmune’s investigational GLP-1/glucagon dual receptor agonist saw up to 15.6% weight loss, and nearly a third of those taking the highest dose lost at least 20% of their body weight.
December 1, 2023
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Image of an MRI brain scan/iStock, sudok
Policy
Karuna Secures FDA Decision Date for Schizophrenia Candidate KarXT
The regulator accepted Karuna Therapeutics’ NDA and set a PDUFA date of September 26, 2024. If approved, it would be the first new mechanism of action to treat schizophrenia in decades, the company contends.
November 30, 2023
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
FDA signage at its office in Maryland
Policy
Intas Pharmaceuticals Hit with Another FDA Warning Letter, Put on Import Alert
The troubled Indian pharma company received its second FDA warning letter in months, which this time cited quality control and data integrity lapses at its manufacturing facility in Gujarat, India.
November 30, 2023
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Eli Lilly Campus in San Diego
Business
Lilly Puts Potential $660M on the Line for Protein-Protein Interaction Blockers
In a deal with Tokyo-based PRISM BioLab, Eli Lilly will gain access to the Japanese biotech’s proprietary platform to develop small molecule inhibitors of protein-protein interactions.
November 29, 2023
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Man prepares his GLP-1 receptor agonist injection
Drug Development
Real-World Data Shows Lilly’s Tirzepatide Beats Novo’s Semaglutide at Weight Loss
Using electronic health records, healthcare analytics firm Truveta contends that Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro (tirzepatide) could achieve stronger and faster weight loss than Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic (semaglutide).
November 29, 2023
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Facade of Novartis building in Switzerland
Novartis Raises Growth Target, Trims Pipeline Under ‘Pure-Play’ Strategy
The Swiss pharma is adopting a more streamlined strategy focusing on core therapeutic areas: cardiovascular, immunology, neuroscience and oncology, as well as renal and metabolic diseases.
November 29, 2023
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Syringe drawing from a series of vials/i
Drug Development
Acelyrin Flags CRO Errors in Izokibep Program After Late-Stage Failure
The biotech blames contract research organization Fortrea for incorrectly coding the dosing sequence in a psoriatic arthritis trial, which it contends resulted in some patients being given the wrong treatments.
November 28, 2023
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Person applies eye drops/iStock, megaflo
Policy
FDA Rejects Aldeyra’s Dry Eye Drug, Cites Need for Additional Trial
Aldeyra Therapeutics is planning to run another trial, in line with the regulator’s requirements, and is expecting top-line data and a New Drug Application resubmission in the first half of 2024.
November 28, 2023
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: FDA signage at its office in Washington, DC
FDA
SpringWorks Wins First FDA Approval for Non-Cancerous Desmoid Tumors
The Ogsiveo tablets are the first approval therapy for the rare subtype of soft tissue sarcomas, which can lead to severe pain and disability and previously were treated primarily through surgery.
November 28, 2023
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: GSK laboratories in Dresden, Germany
Drug Development
GSK Builds Case for Blenrep’s Comeback with Promising Phase III Data
A year after exiting the U.S. market, GSK is setting the stage for the antibody-drug conjugate’s possible return in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma.
November 27, 2023
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Tristan Manalac
Facade of Novo Nordisk's office in Fremont, California
Novo Warns EU of GLP-1 Drug Shortages, Expands Production at French Site
Novo Nordisk is diverting manufacturing capacity away from its older GLP-1 drug Victoza in order to cater to sky-high Ozempic demand.
November 27, 2023
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Red line graph showing a downward trend/
Drug Development
InDex Scraps Phase III Ulcerative Colitis Trial on Disappointing Data
After a negative review by an Independent Data Monitoring Committee, InDex Pharmaceuticals has decided to discontinue the late-stage CONCLUDE program evaluating its cobitolimod in ulcerative colitis.
November 22, 2023
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Facade of Moderna's building in Massachusetts
Policy
European Patent Office Declares One of Moderna’s mRNA Patents Invalid
Pfizer and BioNTech scored a win over Moderna on Tuesday as the European Patent Office decided that a key patent held by the Massachusetts biotech related to its COVID-19 vaccine is invalid.
November 22, 2023
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Cancer cell in the bloodstream/iStock, D
Drug Development
ASH Preview: Darzalex Faspro in Multiple Myeloma, Imbruvica-Venclexta in Mantle Cell Lymphoma
J&J, AbbVie, Genmab and Genentech are presenting new data at next month’s American Society of Hematology meeting on the therapeutic potential of their therapies in multiple myeloma and mantle cell lymphoma.
November 22, 2023
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Businessmen shaking hands after closing a deal
Business
BeiGene Inks Potential $1.3B Deal with Ensem for Early-Stage CDK2 Inhibitor
The biotech company has bought the global rights to an investigational oral CDK2 inhibitor from Ensem Therapeutics in a licensing agreement valued at up to $1.33 billion if all milestones are met.
November 21, 2023
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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