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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.

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
Feb 2, 2020 South San Francisco / CA / USA - Merck & Co. headquarters in Silicon Valley; Merck & Co. Inc. is an American multinational pharmaceutical company
Cardiovascular disease
Merck Moves Forward in Bid To Bring First Oral PCSK9 Inhibitor to Market
Merck’s enlicitide decanoate significantly lowered low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in two Phase III trials, unlocking what BMO Capital Markets called a “multi-billion dollar opportunity” for the pharma.
June 9, 2025
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Contemporary art collage of human hands holding a arrow pointing up, graphs and diagrams. Concept of profit, making money, business. Copy space.
Weight loss
Metsera Shares Rise as Monthly Weight Loss Injection Shaves Over 8% Body Weight at 36 Days
In what Guggenheim Partners called one of Metsera’s “critical program milestones” this year, its ultra-long-acting amylin injection MET-233i showed promising weight-loss after a little more than a month of treatment.
June 9, 2025
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac
World kidney day. Human hands holding healthy kidney shape made from paper on light blue background.
Rare diseases
Apellis, Sobi See Potential ‘Best-in-Class’ Efficacy for Empaveli in Rare Kidney Diseases
Empaveli reduced proteinuria by 68% versus placebo in glomerulopathy and glomerulonephritis, an effect that was sustained through one year of follow-up.
June 9, 2025
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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