SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
Tristan Manalac

Tristan Manalac

Contributing Writer | News

Tristan is an independent science writer based in Metro Manila, with 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: Bristol Myers Squibb office in California
Drug Development
BMS Sees Early ROI for $14B Karuna Buy with Phase III Schizophrenia Win
Fresh off of its $14 billion acquisition of Karuna Therapeutics, Bristol Myers Squibb on Saturday reported promising late-stage data for Karuna’s antipsychotic KarXT, which elicited significant symptomatic improvement in schizophrenia symptoms.
April 8, 2024
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Pictured: FDA signage at its office in Washington, DC
FDA
AstraZeneca, Daiichi Sankyo Win First Tumor-Agnostic HER2 FDA Approval for Enhertu
AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo’s antibody-drug conjugate Enhertu is the first FDA-approved tumor-agnostic HER2-targeted therapy authorized for the treatment of solid tumors in adults who have undergone prior systemic treatment.
April 8, 2024
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Pictured: AstraZeneca's building in Shanghai, China
Drug Development
AstraZeneca’s Imfinzi Clinches Late-Stage Victory in Aggressive Lung Cancer
Following disappointing Phase III results in less aggressive non-small cell lung cancer, AstraZeneca on Friday announced that Imfinzi improved progression-free and overall survival in patients with limited-stage small cell lung cancer.
April 5, 2024
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Merck Research Laboratories in South San Francisco, California
Drug Development
Merck Launches Phase III Study for KRAS Hopeful, Eyes Challenge to Amgen and BMS
Seeking a potential slice of the challenging KRAS market, Merck has launched a Phase III NSCLC trial of its oral G12C inhibitor MK-1084, in combination with Keytruda, in pursuit of Amgen and Bristol Myers Squibb.
April 5, 2024
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Facade of Novartis building in Switzerland
Drug Development
Novartis to File for Pluvicto Label Expansion After Promising Phase III Data
Following clearer overall survival data from the PSMAfore trial, Novartis on Thursday affirmed plans to file for a prostate cancer label expansion for its targeted radioligand therapy Pluvicto later this year.
April 5, 2024
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Boehringer Ingelheim's office in California
Business
Boehringer Ingelheim Cuts Staff Due to Low Humira Biosimilar Sales: Reuters
Due to slow uptake of its Humira biosimilar Cyltezo in the U.S., Boehringer Ingelheim is laying off an undisclosed number of its sales employees, Reuters reported on Thursday.
April 5, 2024
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Illustration showing a neuron being destroyed
Business
Amylyx to Pull ALS Drug Relyvrio From US, Canada Markets After Phase III Fail
Following disappointing late-stage data, Amylyx on Thursday said it is withdrawing the company’s amyotrophic lateral sclerosis drug Relyvrio from the U.S. and Canadian markets and cutting its workforce by approximately 70%.
April 4, 2024
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Facade of Moderna's building in Massachusetts
Policy
Judge Rules Against Moderna in COVID-19 Patent Fight with Roivant Subsidiary
A Delaware judge on Wednesday agreed with Roivant subsidiary Arbutus and Genevant’s interpretation of specific patent claims regarding the lipid nanoparticle delivery system used by Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine.
April 4, 2024
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Blue Sanofi sign on building in Germany at night
Policy
Sanofi Agrees to Settle 4,000 Zantac Cancer Lawsuits in US State Courts
Sanofi has in principle reached a settlement related to its discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, though the French pharma did not disclose the financial terms of the deal.
April 4, 2024
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Eli Lilly's headquarters in Indianapolis
Policy
Four Doses of Lilly’s Mounjaro Will Be in Short Supply Through April 2024: FDA
The four highest doses of Eli Lilly’s blockbuster diabetes treatment Mounjaro will be in short supply through the rest of the month due to strong demand, according to the regulator.
April 3, 2024
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Man holding a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing
Deals
Acorda Joins Growing Group of Biotechs Filing for Bankruptcy, Divests Assets to Merz
Acorda Therapeutics becomes the latest biotechnology company in 2024 to go bankrupt and shutter its business, following years of financial difficulty. Merz Therapeutics will acquire two commercial medicines from Acorda for $185 million.
April 3, 2024
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
FDA signage at its office in Maryland
FDA
Vanda Gets FDA Approval for Fanapt Antipsychotic, Expands into Bipolar Disorder
After sustaining a regulatory defeat in insomnia, Vanda Pharmaceuticals on Tuesday won the FDA’s approval for its atypical antipsychotic Fanapt for the treatment of manic or mixed episodes in adults with bipolar I disorder.
April 3, 2024
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Businessmen shaking hands after closing a deal
Deals
Genmab Leans into Hot ADC Space with $1.8B ProfoundBio Acquisition
Genmab announced Wednesday it is buying ProfoundBio and its pipeline of next-generation antibody-drug conjugates being developed for gynecologic cancers and other solid tumors.
April 3, 2024
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Healthcare worker holding up a vial for an LDL-C test
Drug Development
Verve Halts Trial for Lead Gene Editing Program Due to Safety Concerns
Verve Therapeutics is pausing enrollment in the Phase Ib Heart-1 study for its gene editor VERVE-101 after a patient developed grade 3 laboratory abnormalities, the company announced Tuesday.
April 2, 2024
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Entrance to Vertex's office in Boston, Massachusetts
Drug Development
Vertex Pushes Oral Drug into Phase III Kidney Disease Trial, Eyes Accelerated Approval
Following promising Phase IIa data, Vertex Pharmaceuticals will now evaluate its oral drug candidate inaxaplin in a late-stage study of APOL-1 mediated kidney disease.
April 2, 2024
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Load More