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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: Facade of Novartis building in Switzerland
Business
Amgen Emerges as Potential Cytokinetics Suitor as Novartis Pulls Away: Reports
Dropping the potential Cytokinetics buy runs contrary to Novartis’ recent dealmaking frenzy, which included the acquisition of Calypso and three research collaborations.
January 12, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Biogen’s headquarters in Massachusetts
Business
Amid Declining Sales, Biogen Hands MS Drug Fampyra Back to Acorda
Biogen gained exclusive ex-U.S. rights to Ampyra in 2009 and is selling the drug under the brand name Fampyra in international markets.
January 12, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: A silhouette of a woman sitting on the f
DSM-5 Panel Members Received $14.2M in Industry Funding: Study
A new study published in the BMJ found strong financial ties between the pharmaceutical industry and physicians serving as panelists and task force members of the DSM-5.
January 11, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: A corporate building overlooking a freew
Business
Myrobalan Claims $24M for Portfolio of Neurorestorative Drugs
The Massachusetts–based startup will use the Series A funds to advance its pipeline of oral GPR17, CSF1R and TYK2 candidates.
January 10, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Woman using eye drops/iStock, eternalcre
Drug Development
Alcon’s Investigational Drops Show Promising Phase III Data in Dry Eye Disease
Patients treated with AR-15512 showed higher rates of at least a 10-mm improvement in unanesthetized Schirmer’s score, a metric of tear production.
January 10, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: GSK's office in Poznan, Poland/iStock, W
Deals
GSK Puts $1.4B on the Line in Aiolos Acquisition to Boost Asthma Pipeline
Following in the footsteps of Novartis, J&J and Merck, GSK jumped into the J.P. Morgan dealmaking frenzy Tuesday, picking up respiratory and inflammation-focused Aiolos Bio.
January 9, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Entrance to Vertex's office in Boston, Massachusetts
Business
Vertex’s Viacyte Backs Out of CRISPR Diabetes Deal
Vertex still has an ongoing diabetes partnership with CRISPR, which gives it a non-exclusive license to the latter’s platform to develop a potential cure for type 1 diabetes.
January 9, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Gavel with an assortment of tablets and
Policy
Industry Group Prepares Another Lawsuit Against Florida’s Drug Importation Plan
Following the FDA’s approval of the program, PhRMA is once again suing to block Florida from importing prescription drugs from Canada.
January 9, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
External view of Novartis' office in Canada
Business
Novartis’s Dealmaking Spree Continues with Calypso Buyout, Shanghai Argo RNAi Collab
A day after inking an AI deal with Alphabet’s Isomorphic Labs, Novartis is back at it, acquiring Calypso Biotech and tying up with Shanghai Argo in two RNA-i-focused pacts.
January 8, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Nasdaq signage and building in New York City
Deals
Metagenomi, ArriVent Launch Bid for Nasdaq
The IPO window is starting to crack open this year, with Metagenomi and ArriVent making their offerings ahead of the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference.
January 8, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Businessmen shaking hands after closing a deal
Business
Lilly, Novartis Sign AI Partnership with Alphabet’s Isomorphic
The multimillion-dollar collaboration will develop small molecule drugs against undisclosed targets.
January 8, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
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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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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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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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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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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