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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: a cancer therapeutics collage/Nicole Bea
Avenzo Closes $150M Oversubscribed Series A-1 to Advance Cancer Therapies
Avenzo Therapeutics on Tuesday said it will use the financing round to advance its next-generation oncology pipeline, including a potentially best-in-class CDK2 selective inhibitor.
March 27, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Entrance to Pfizer's office in Belgium
Drug Development
Pfizer Terminates Phase III Sickle Cell Study Due to Slow Patient Recruitment
While Pfizer has ended one of its two Phase III studies for inclacumab in sickle cell disease, the company is still eyeing an approval for the antibody in the inherited blood disorder by 2026.
March 27, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: White pills on a black background/iStock
Drug Development
Viking Touts Promising Phase I Data for Weight-Loss Pill Candidate
The early-stage study showed that Viking Therapeutics’ oral obesity candidate VK2735, a dual agonist of the GLP-1 and GIP receptors, elicited a 3.3% reduction in mean body weight. The company plans to start a Phase II trial.
March 26, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: AstraZeneca signage at its office in Sweden
FDA
AstraZeneca’s Ultomiris Wins FDA Approval for Rare Autoimmune Disease
AstraZeneca’s Alexion on Monday secured the fourth indication for Ultomiris, which can now be used to treat the rare autoimmune condition neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder.
March 26, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Woman falling asleep at her workstation/
Drug Development
Axsome Therapeutics’ Small Molecule Clears Phase III Trial in Narcolepsy
Axsome clinched a late-stage victory for its chronic sleep disorder candidate AXS-12, which demonstrated significant improvement in cataplexy—the sudden loss of muscle tone while a person is awake—after five weeks.
March 26, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Sign outside BioNTech's building in Germany
Policy
BioNTech Hit with NIH Notice of Default Over COVID-19 Vaccine Royalties
The National Institutes of Health claims BioNTech is in default regarding alleged royalty payments the agency contends it is owed in connection with the company’s COVID-19 vaccine Comirnaty.
March 26, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Facade of Novo Nordisk's office in Fremont, California
Deals
Novo’s $1.1B Cardior Buy Continues Expansion into Heart Disease
Just weeks after Wegovy won FDA approval for cardiovascular disease, Novo Nordisk has bought mid-stage biotech Cardior Pharmaceuticals and its miRNA-targeting candidate for heart failure.
March 25, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
FDA signage at its office in Maryland
Policy
FDA Authorizes Invivyd’s Pemgarda to Prevent COVID-19 in Immunocompromised People
The regulator has allowed for emergency use of Invivyd’s monoclonal antibody Pemgarda as a COVID-19 pre-exposure prophylaxis for moderately or severely immunocompromised patients.
March 25, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: J&J's office in Madrid, Spain
FDA
J&J Wins FDA Nod for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Combo Pill
Johnson & Johnson’s Opsynvi has been approved by the FDA for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension, combining macitentan, which cuts the risk of clinical worsening and hospitalization, while tadalafil boosts patients’ exercise capacity.
March 25, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
AbbVie's office in South San Francisco, California
FDA
AbbVie Secures Full FDA Approval for ADC Elahere in Ovarian Cancer
AbbVie’s antibody-drug conjugate Elahere on Friday won the FDA’s full approval for the treatment of FRα-positive, platinum-resistant ovarian, fallopian tube and primary peritoneal cancers.
March 25, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Roche's tower in Shanghai, China
Drug Development
Roche’s IL-6 Blocker Clears Phase III Bar, Still Falls Short of Expectations
Despite meeting its primary endpoint in a late-stage generalized myasthenia gravis trial, Roche and Chugai Pharmaceutical’s Enspryng did not demonstrate clinical benefit as expected, the companies announced Thursday.
March 22, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Sign of U.S. Department of Health & Huma
Policy
Medicare to Cover Novo’s Weight-Loss Drug Wegovy for Patients with Heart Disease
Following its label expansion earlier this month, Medicare on Thursday said it will now cover the use of Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy in patients with overweight or obesity who have preexisting cardiovascular disease.
March 22, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Merck Research Laboratories in South San Francisco, California
Drug Development
Merck’s Keytruda Continues NSCLC Losing Streak with Phase III Flop
Keytruda, when used with AstraZeneca’s Lynparza, did not significantly improve overall and progression-free survival in specific patients with metastatic non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer.
March 21, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Idorsia's office in Switzerland/iStock,
FDA
Idorsia Wins FDA Approval in Hypertension Months After J&J Returned Rights to Drug
Months after Johnson & Johnson turned its back on the hypertension treatment Tryvio, Idorsia has secured the FDA’s nod for the endothelin receptor blocker.
March 21, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Bayer's office in Berlin, Germany/iStock
Business
Bayer Eliminates Nearly Half of Its Executive Positions in Major Overhaul
As part of a sweeping reorganization, Bayer Pharmaceuticals on Wednesday shuffled its leadership roster, which included the creation of a new unit and role changes for its executives.
March 21, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
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