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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: Roche tower in Basel, Switzerland
Drug Development
Roche’s Ocrevus Subcutaneous Injection Matches IV Infusion in Phase III MS Trial
Data from the OCARINA II trial shows that a 10-minute subcutaneous injection of Ocrevus achieves similar pharmacokinetics as the typical hours-long intravenous infusion in multiple sclerosis patients.
July 13, 2023
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Tristan Manalac
Merck Research Laboratories in South San Francisco, California
Policy
Merck Calls for Summary Judgment in IRA Drug Price Negotiation Case
Following its initial lawsuit last month, Merck has now requested that a federal judge rule on its Inflation Reduction Act case against the Biden administration without a trial.
July 13, 2023
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Illumina headquarters in California/iSto
Policy
EU Hits Illumina with Record $476M Fine for Unapproved Grail Deal
For closing its $8 billion acquisition of Grail without regulatory approval, the European Union has slapped Illumina with a record $476 million fine—the maximum sanction allowed under the EU’s rules.
July 12, 2023
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Facade of Takeda's office in Massachusetts
Policy
Takeda Withdraws Dengue Vaccine Application After FDA Request for More Data
Following the regulator’s request for more data beyond the scope of its Phase III TIDES trial, Takeda decided to voluntarily withdraw the Biologics License Application for its TAK-003 dengue vaccine.
July 12, 2023
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Tristan Manalac
Incyte's logo on its building in Delaware
Drug Development
Incyte’s Opzelura Clears Phase III Trial in Pediatric Atopic Dermatitis
The company’s ruxolitinib cream Opzelura led to higher rates of treatment success in children with atopic dermatitis than with a control cream.
July 12, 2023
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Astellas' Americas headquarters in Illin
Business
Astellas Licenses 4DMT’s Vector Delivery Platform in Potential $962M Deal
Following its $5.9 billion Iveric Bio buy, Astellas is leaning into the eye disease space with a licensing agreement for 4D Molecular Therapeutics’ proprietary intravitreal AAV delivery system.
July 11, 2023
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Elderly man getting his eye checked/iSto
Drug Development
Viridian Poised to Challenge Horizon in Thyroid Eye Disease
Early-stage data shows that Viridian’s thyroid eye disease candidate induces clinically meaningful improvements in eye protrusion after six weeks of treatment.
July 11, 2023
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Tristan Manalac
FDA sign outside its office in Maryland
Policy
FDA Puts Clinical Hold on Hemogenyx’s CAR-T AML Therapy
The biotech Monday announced a clinical hold on its HEMO-CAR-T candidate, which is being trialed for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia, due to manufacturing concerns cited by the regulator.
July 10, 2023
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Boy in orange shirt on a wheelchair at t
Drug Development
BrainStorm Builds NurOwn’s Case in ALS with Biomarker Data
After its Biologics License Application was rejected by the FDA, BrainStorm’s Phase III data suggest its amyotrophic lateral sclerosis candidate significantly lowers neurofilament light chain levels.
July 10, 2023
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Canada's Biologics Manufacturing Center
Policy
Novavax Amends COVID-19 Contract with Canada, Snags $350M for Unused Shots
The biotech will supply Canada with fewer doses of its coronavirus vaccine while reaching a financial agreement for the forfeiting of certain doses previously scheduled for delivery.
July 10, 2023
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Tristan Manalac
Facade of Novo Nordisk's office in Fremont, California
Policy
Novo Nordisk Files Another Round of Lawsuits Over Semaglutide Copycats
After an initial series of legal complaints in June, Novo Nordisk filed four new lawsuits Thursday against Florida and Tennessee pharmacies for allegedly selling products containing semaglutide.
July 7, 2023
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Roche tower in Basel, Switzerland
Drug Development
Roche’s Tecentriq Boosts Survival in NSCLC Patients Ineligible for Platinum Chemo
Phase III trial data published Thursday show significant survival benefit as a first-line treatment in advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients not fit for standard platinum-based doublet chemotherapy.
July 7, 2023
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Sign of U.S. Department of Health & Huma
Policy
CMS Expands Medicare Coverage for Leqembi After FDA Traditional Approval
Following the FDA’s full approval of the Alzheimer’s drug Thursday, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services confirmed broader coverage of Leqembi and released more details on a registry.
July 7, 2023
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: A sign in front of a Takeda building/iSt
Business
Takeda, F-star Sign Potential $1B Immuno-Oncology Agreement
The companies have signed two other pacts over the last year. In the latest deal, Takeda gains access to F-star’s platform to produce tetravalent antibodies for undisclosed oncology targets.
July 6, 2023
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: J&J's office in Madrid, Spain
J&J Maintains Top Pharma Brand Ranking Despite Industry Downturn
Johnson & Johnson remains the most valuable pharmaceutical brand, according to consultancy Brand Finance, beating out all other big pharma companies by a wide margin.
July 6, 2023
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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