SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
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.

2D illustration showing scientists' hands editing a DNA strand
Gene editing
Intellia’s CRISPR Gene Editor Shows Early Promise With Strong Biomarker Benefit in ATTR Amyloidosis
Analysts appear optimistic for Intellia’s gene editor nex-z, which showed a greater serum TTR reduction than Alnylam’s Amvuttra.
November 18, 2024
 · 
3 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Government
Trump Picks RFK Jr. to Lead HHS
Trump’s HHS pick, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is an anti-vaccine campaigner who has previously said that he plans to gut the FDA on allegations of corruption and reduce the NIH’s headcount.
November 15, 2024
 · 
3 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Bristol Myers Squibb office in California
Legal
Celgene Shareholders Hit BMS with Fresh Lawsuit for Allegedly Dodging CVR Payments
BMS has so far been on a winning streak in the contingent value right cases, which allege that the pharma intentionally delayed regulatory activities for Breyanzi in order to avoid a $6.4 billion payout to Celgene shareholders.
November 15, 2024
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Feb 2, 2020 South San Francisco / CA / USA - Merck & Co. headquarters in Silicon Valley; Merck & Co. Inc. is an American multinational pharmaceutical company
Collaboration
Merck Hops Onto PD-1/VEGF Train, Committing up to $3B Plus in LaNova Deal
Despite recent enthusiasm around the PD-1/VEGF space, BMO Capital Markets analyst Evan Seigerman noted that Merck’s pact with LaNova Medicines is more “conservativism” on the pharma’s part than confirmatory of recent data in the drug class.
November 14, 2024
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
GSK's headquarters office building in Poznan, Poland
Cancer
GSK Builds Case for Blenrep with Multiple Myeloma OS Data That Bests J&J’s Darzalex
GSK is carving out a niche for Blenrep in the second-line multiple myeloma setting, for which it projects multi-blockbuster potential for the antibody-drug conjugate.
November 14, 2024
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Art collage, coins, and arrow up on the red and paper background. Concept of business and financial growth.
Cancer
Adaptimmune Plots Path to FDA as Sarcoma Cell Therapy Aces Pivotal Trial
Following strong treatment response data for Adaptimmune’s lete-cel, the biotech is planning to initiate a rolling BLA submission to the FDA, set to start by the end of 2025.
November 14, 2024
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
FDA signage at its headquarters in Maryland
Approvals
PTC Wins First FDA Nod for Direct-to-Brain Gene Therapy, Targets Ultrarare Disease
The FDA has followed in the footsteps of its European counterparts and granted accelerated approval to PTC Therapeutics’ gene therapy Kebilidi for AADC deficiency. It is the first approved gene therapy to be delivered directly to the brain.
November 14, 2024
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Handshake gesture contemporary collage art. Celebrating success, congratulating for financial and business partnership, job contract deal, mutual friendship and respect. Abstract illustration isolated.
Mergers & acquisitions
BioNTech Takes Aim at Keytruda With Up to $950M Biotheus Buy
The acquisition will give BioNTech full ownership of an investigational bispecific antibody targeting the PD-L1/VEGF-A pathways, a hot area in oncology that could potentially replace standard checkpoint inhibitors for cancer treatment.
November 13, 2024
 · 
3 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Contemporary art collage of hand holding an arrow showing fall. Modern design. Copy space.
Cancer
Syros Crashes Over 90% on Late-Stage MDS Fail, Loan Default
With the Phase III failure, Syros will discontinue the study of tamibarotene for myelodysplastic syndrome and will default on its loan from Oxford Finance LLC.
November 13, 2024
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Amgen's office in Massachusetts/iStock,
Obesity
Amgen Suffers Surprise Blow as New Bone Density Safety Concerns for MariTide Surface
Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Olivia Brayer found supplementary bone mineral density data for Amgen’s obesity candidate MariTide that could point to a potentially greater fracture risk than previously revealed, but some other analysts view the findings as a nonissue.
November 13, 2024
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Roche's tower in Shanghai, China
Deals
Roche Inks Potential $1.8B Deal With Flare to Target Transcription Factors in Cancer
With $70 million upfront and more than $1.8 billion on the line, Roche will gain access to Flare’s drug discovery engine to bolster its oncology pipeline.
November 12, 2024
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
June 10, 2020 Sunnyvale / CA / USA - The new 23andme headquarters in Silicon Valley; Based on a saliva sample, 23andMe provides reports about the customer's health, traits and ancestry
Layoffs
23andMe Cuts Headcount by 40%, Drops Drug Discovery Work
In line with the restructuring initiative, 23andMe is looking for strategic opportunities for its pipeline assets, including licensing deals or outright sales.
November 12, 2024
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Contemporary art collage of hand holding an arrow showing fall. Modern design. Copy space.
Gene therapy
Neurogene Shares Tank After Adverse Event Linked to Early-Stage Rett Syndrome Gene Therapy
Analysts did not seem very concerned by the treatment-related serious adverse event, noting that NGN-401 was well-tolerated at a lower dose and showed promising efficacy outcomes.
November 12, 2024
 · 
3 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Contemporary art collage of hand holding an arrow showing fall. Modern design. Copy space.
Pipeline
RAPT Crashes After Axing Atopic Dermatitis, Asthma Hopeful, Cites Liver Injury
In February 2024, the FDA put two Phase II studies of zelnecirnon under a clinical hold after a case of liver failure was deemed potentially related to the drug.
November 11, 2024
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Rhinosinusitis, sinusitis concept image
Immunology and inflammation
AstraZeneca, Amgen Claim Late-Stage Win in Chronic Rhinosinusitis but Analyst Flags ‘Regulatory Risk’
The companies did not provide detailed data for Tezspire, however, and William Blair’s Matt Phipps said in a note he does not expect the antibody to outperform Dupixent.
November 11, 2024
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Load More