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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.

Japanese-style New Year's card template for the year of the snake1 (horizontal type) (without greeting text) Snake, Mt. Fuji, sunrise, clouds
Funding
Novartis-backed Sidewinder collects $137M series B to strike at difficult-to-treat tumors
Sidewinder Therapeutics’ bispecific antibody-drug conjugates target pairs of receptors found on cancer cells, which the company claims improves their specificity and minimizes off-target effects.
April 9, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Business people and concepts vector art exit
Government
PhMRA’s long-standing leader Steve Ubl to leave lobby group by year-end
Industry leader Steve Ubl has served as PhRMA’s CEO for more than a decade, the longest tenure of any head of the trade group.
April 9, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
fail the exam, bad work, paper recycling, a crumpled sheet of paper is thrown into the wastebasket
Dermatology
Insmed Scraps Skin Plans for Lung Disease Drug as Competitors Make Headway
After a Phase 2 flop, Brinsupri exits the race to market for the chronic skin disease hidradenitis suppurativa, but other companies, including Incyte, Novartis and UCB, have recently notched clinical and regulatory victories.
April 8, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Large sharp meat cleaver sticking out of a rustic wood cutting board on a grey background. 3d render.
Mergers & acquisitions
Merck Chopped $1B Off Terns’ Offer After Seeing Updated Leukemia Data
Another bidder, which remains unidentified, dropped out of the bidding process. Analysts at William Blair now think it unlikely that another suitor could offer a counter-proposal to Merck’s outstanding $6.7 billion acquisition offer.
April 8, 2026
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Many various colored tablets and pills are stacked in shopping cart, percent signs are around. Concept of buying of medicines, online sales of medication, discounts and promotions in pharmacy
Drug pricing
AbbVie Puts Humira on TrumpRx at Steep Discount as Tariff Threat Solidifies
Humira will be available on TrumpRx at an 86% discount, according to media reports, as part of AbbVie’s deal with the White House to avoid tariffs. The news comes less than a week after the president announced up to 100% levies on pharma products.
April 7, 2026
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1 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Scanner on blue human eye
Immunology and inflammation
Amgen Seeks ‘Return to Growth’ for Tepezza as More Convenient Formulation Aces Phase 3
Sales of Amgen’s thyroid eye disease drug Tepezza have slowed, dipping 1% to $457 million in the fourth quarter of 2025.
April 7, 2026
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Successful businessman standing in front of multiple pathways, making a decision for the right move. A symbol of great investment and positive progress in the development of business. stock illustration
Government
FDA’s 2027 Budget Proposes Permanent Rare Disease Vouchers, Easier Entry to Clinic
If the Trump administration’s proposal passes, the FDA’s budget will be more than $200 million bigger in 2027, with plans to launch new programs that expedite drug development, boost national security and promote “radical transparency.”
April 7, 2026
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Big fish eats small, takeover of the company. Art collage.
Mergers & acquisitions
Neurocrine Nabs Rare Obesity Disorder Drug in ‘Surprising’ $2.9B Soleno Deal
While an acquisition is a good exit for Soleno Therapeutics, the company’s acceptance of Neurocrine Biosciences’ $53-per-share offer came as a surprise to Stifel analysts given the potential growth of Vykat XR, approved last year for extreme hunger in patients with Prader-Willi syndrome.
April 6, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Contemporary art collage of hand holding an arrow showing fall. Modern design. Copy space.
Pipeline
Pharma Pipeline Stalls for First Time in Decades: Citeline
Some disease areas bucked the trend of shrinking pipelines, however, with immune and cardiovascular indications seeing an upward trend in investigational assets.
April 6, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Close-up Of Businessperson Shaking Hands With Robot
Mergers & acquisitions
AI Giant Anthropic Leans Into Life Sciences With $400M Coefficient Bio Catch
Anthropic in October last year iterated its Claude AI model to better cater to biopharma purposes. Sanofi, Novo Nordisk, AbbVie and others already use Claude in their operations.
April 6, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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Neurodegenerative diseases
Takeda Breaks Up With Denali, Dumps Dementia Drug
Takeda and Denali Therapeutics first partnered in early 2018 to advance drugs for neurodegenerative diseases. One asset, for Alzheimer’s disease, was previously discontinued after an FDA hold and disappointing early data.
April 6, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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Funding
Ambrosia Eyes Next-Generation Small Molecule GLP-1s With $100M Series B
While peptides are currently the dominant approach to GLP-1 agonism, Ambrosia Biosciences is pursuing a small-molecule approach.
April 1, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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Regulatory
FDA Ties Amgen’s Rare Inflammatory Disease Drug to Eight Deaths, Dozens of Liver Injuries
The FDA in January asked Amgen to pull Tavneos from the market, citing liver toxicity issues that affected the drug’s overall risk-benefit profile. The pharma refused.
April 1, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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Company closure
IO Shuts Down Following Regulatory Roadblocks
The FDA advised IO Biotech last year to hold off on filing an approval application for its cancer vaccine Cylembio, pointing to a failed Phase 3 study in frontline advanced melanoma. The biotech has now gone under.
April 1, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Robot sits at big arrow, symbolising a growth of AI technology. 3D rendering
Artificial intelligence
Biotech IPOs Rebound as AI Takes a More Central Role in Drug Development
The recent uptick in IPOs is an encouraging signal after a drought for much of 2025. Experts point to AI as a driving force behind this resurgence.
April 1, 2026
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6 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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