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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.

3d illustration of a black dragon flying on an extraterrestrial world with mountains beneath.
Neuropsychiatric disorders
Draig Takes Flight With $140M Series A To Advance Neuropsych Drugs
The U.K.-based biotech is set to enter mid-stage studies for its depression drug this year, while two other GABAA modulators are poised for clinical trials in 2026.
June 18, 2025
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
screenshot of Marty Makary speaking on the Megyn Kelly Show
Regulatory
Makary Doubles Down on Push To ‘Modernize’ FDA, Eyes Speedier Reviews
Speaking at BIO2025, Makary bemoaned what he called “unnecessary steps” and “avoidable delays” in the U.S. regulatory landscape.
June 18, 2025
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
External view of the U.S. Capitol building
Drug pricing
Senate Republicans Drop Orphan Drug Exemptions From ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’
The new version of the bill will still need to go through the entire House and Senate.
June 18, 2025
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Goal concept. Human hand in dotted pop art style pointing on the target for red paper plane. Vector illustration
Approvals
CSL Wins First Approval for Preventive Hereditary Angioedema Drug
Andembry is the first monthly Factor XIIa inhibitor for the prevention of HAE attacks and will be available to patients “before the end of June,” CSL announced.
June 18, 2025
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Brain shaped maze. Concept image of study and brain behavior.
Parkinson’s disease
Ventyx’s Parkinson’s Pill Shows ‘Promising’ Results in Mid-Stage Study, Paving Path to Other Neuro Diseases
Jefferies analysts said on Tuesday that Ventyx could leverage its mid-stage data for VTX3232 to position the oral drug candidate as a treatment for other neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s.
June 17, 2025
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
vector illustration arrows miss the target board, concept of lost in focus, failure, fail, mistake
Cancer
Roche, AbbVie’s Venclexta Stumbles Again, This Time in Myelodysplastic Syndromes
Venclexta, when combined with azacitidine, elicited an overall survival benefit below 10% in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes.
June 17, 2025
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1 min read
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Tristan Manalac
National Institutes of Health (NIH) building
Government
Court Orders Restoration of Canceled NIH Grants, Calls Cuts ‘Appalling’
District Judge William Young, a nominee of Republican President Ronald Reagan, blasted the Trump administration’s NIH cuts as discriminatory and “bearing down on people of color because of their color.”
June 17, 2025
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
iStock, Yutthana Gaetgeaw
CDC
CDC Scientist Resigns in Protest as Kennedy Reshapes Vaccine Regulation
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s actions in recent months have raised concerns that he is taking a heavy-handed and unilateral approach to vaccine policy in the U.S.
June 17, 2025
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Working man icon pushing the load on the line. Hard work, labor, effort and determination concept.
Parkinson’s disease
Roche, Prothena Push Parkinson’s Drug to Phase III Despite Mid-Stage Fail
Analysts at Jefferies give Roche and Prothena’s Phase III study just a 25% to 40% probability of success.
June 16, 2025
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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Mergers & acquisitions
Regeneron Backs Off 23andMe, Losing Bid to Former CEO
Regeneron did not bid higher on the genetic testing company because of “its assessment of 23andMe’s remaining value,” according to a spokesperson for the pharma.
June 16, 2025
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Oct 9, 2019 Milpitas / CA / USA - Johnson & Johnson Vision offices in Silicon Valley; Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. is part of the American multinational corporation Johnson&Johnson
Cell therapy
J&J’s Dual-Targeting CAR T Hits 80% Complete Response in Early Lymphoma Study
Analysts at Truist Securities called J&J’s CAR T readout “compelling,” noting that the efficacy figures could position the cell therapy as a formidable competitor to the current standard of care, Gilead’s Yescarta.
June 16, 2025
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Government
Makary Considers More Cuts at FDA Amid Continued Delays
According to an internal email, the agency may be in for more consolidation in areas including human resources, communications, travel and acquisitions.
June 16, 2025
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1 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Biotechnology and molecular genetic engineering. 3D illustration of science and molecular technology.
Duchenne muscular dystrophy
UPDATE: Second Patient Dies After Receiving Sarepta’s DMD Gene Therapy Elevidys
Sarepta’s shares crashed 41% in premarket trading Monday morning to $21.01 after the biotech reported a second death from acute liver failure, a known side effect of adeno-associated virus-based gene therapies.
June 16, 2025
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac
AI robot with cancer cells and virus. 3d illustration
Artificial intelligence
As AI Dawns in Precision Oncology, 2025 Expected To Be a ‘Turning Point’
AstraZeneca, Pfizer and more are leveraging the computational power of AI to better design trials, predict the potential efficacy and safety profiles of their molecules and synthesize massive multi-omic information to gain a more complete understanding of challenging cancers.
June 16, 2025
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9 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Cambridge, USA - 16 August 2024. View of Moderna office entrance with logo sign, Biotechnology industry
RSV
Moderna Wins Expanded Label for mRNA RSV Shot as New ACIP Members Question mRNA Technology
Later this month, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s revamped CDC vaccine advisory committee will discuss RSV vaccination guidelines for the newly approved patient group, high-risk adults 18 through 49. Analysts and other experts have warned that the new panel includes some who have documented anti-vaccine sentiments as well as those who have spoken out against mRNA technology specifically.
June 13, 2025
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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