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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.

Facade of AstraZeneca's office in Shanghai, China
Artificial intelligence
AstraZeneca Makes $5.3B AI Bet With China’s CSPC for Chronic Disease Pills
Friday’s deal with CSPC fits neatly within AstraZeneca’s business development strategy of upping investments in AI and in China.
June 13, 2025
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Headshots of two men wearing suits
Vaccines
Two of Kennedy’s New ACIP Picks Were Paid Expert Witnesses in Merck Vaccine Cases
Martin Kulldorff and Robert Malone, both outspoken vaccine skeptics, have received compensation for their expert participation in various vaccine-related cases against Merck.
June 13, 2025
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Minimal Clip Art Collage. Pop Vector Design Composition with bright bold geometric shapes, halftone objects for ad, animation etc
Bladder cancer
UroGen’s Bladder Cancer Drug Wins FDA Approval Over Adcomm’s Objections
The FDA’s Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee narrowly voted against the approval of Zusduri, citing the lack of a completely randomized study to back up the application.
June 13, 2025
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Big fish eats small, takeover of the company. Art collage.
Mergers & acquisitions
BioNTech Swallows Vaccine Rival CureVac in $1.25B All-Stock Acquisition
BioNTech will get CureVac’s early-stage cancer assets, including its mRNA-based glioblastoma therapy currently in Phase I development. CureVac had previously sued BioNTech for copyright infringement related to mRNA vaccine technology.
June 12, 2025
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Isolated hand photo on yellow background. Pink hand collage style. Bright pop art template with space for text. Creative minimalistic backdrop.
Lung cancer
Nuvation Scores First FDA Nod With Oral Lung Cancer Drug
Nuvation Bio’s first approved product is Ibtrozi, a CNS-active ROS1 inhibitor that in pivotal studies showed high rates of treatment response in patients with non-small cell lung cancer.
June 12, 2025
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Front view of the CDC museum in Georgia
Government
Amid ACIP Shake-Up, CDC Reinstates Hundreds of Fired Employees
The rehired staff, who number around 460, work with the CDC’s viral disease prevention efforts and sexual health testing labs, among others. The reinstatements are a ray of light in an acrimonious week that also saw protests and the complete overhaul of the agency’s vaccine advisory committee.
June 12, 2025
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Bristol Myers Squibb office in California
Deals
BMS Expands Radiopharma Presence With $1.35B Biobucks Deal for Philochem
Instead of homing in on PSMA—currently the most validated target in prostate cancer—BMS and Philochem will instead collaborate on an early-stage molecule that binds to a novel marker called ACP3.
June 11, 2025
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Government
AMA Calls for Senate Probe Into RFK Jr. After Removal of CDC Vaccine Advisors
The American Medical Association is also urging an “immediate reversal” of the HHS Secretary’s decision to oust all 17 members of the CDC’s vaccine advisory board.
June 11, 2025
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Composite photo collage of serious man walk look wristwatch hand chief point out dismissal failure late isolated on painted background.
Layoffs
After Axing Diabetes Asset, Vertex Lays Off 140 Staff
The layoffs will heavily affect Vertex’s operations in Rhode Island, where the biotech will consolidate three facilities into one.
June 11, 2025
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Creative picture image collage banner of guy worker jump from financial charts determined company success.
Cardiovascular disease
Insmed ‘Blows Away Expectations’ With Positive Data for Inhaled Hypertension Therapy
Guggenheim Partners called Insmed’s Phase IIb readout “impressive across the board,” with an efficacy profile that positions TPIP to be best-in-class in pulmonary arterial hypertension.
June 11, 2025
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Money dollar rolled up with pills flowing out isolated on blue background, high costs of expensive medication concept. Copy space.
Obesity
Novo Ups Obesity Ante With $800M+ Deep Apple Pact for Oral, Non-Incretin Drugs
For $812 million, Novo Nordisk will enlist Deep Apple to discover and develop a non-incretin therapy for obesity, months after the Danish pharma’s amylin efforts underwhelmed investors.
June 11, 2025
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Illustration of employer’s hand holding employee who was laid off to drop him out of office
Layoffs
Recursion Downsizes by 20% To Boost Cash Position
As of March 31, Recursion Pharmaceuticals had a cash position of $509 million. Following Tuesday’s layoffs, the biotech expects its runway to last into the fourth quarter of 2027.
June 10, 2025
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
change one's mind, decision, direction
IPO
Odyssey Ends Quest for Nasdaq, Pulls IPO Application After Nearly 5 Months
Odyssey filed for an IPO in January but never revealed a fundraising target.
June 10, 2025
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Merck Research Laboratories in South San Francisco, California
RSV
Merck Wins FDA Nod for RSV Antibody, Tees Up Challenge to Sanofi, AstraZeneca
Merck’s Enflonsia will go up against Sanofi and AstraZeneca’s Beyfortus, which the partners plan to ship out early in the third quarter.
June 10, 2025
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Planning strategy and ways to achieve business goals, searching for new opportunities for high results, direction of career development, the path to great success, man changes direction on signpost.
Policy
FDA Brings Back Previously Disbanded Generic Drug Policy Panel
The reinstatement of the generic drug policy office is the latest reversal of course for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s HHS, which also recently rehired FDA staff responsible for making travel arrangements and those involved in user fee program negotiations.
June 10, 2025
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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