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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: GSK's office in Poznan, Poland/iStock, W
Deals
GSK Puts $1.4B on the Line in Aiolos Acquisition to Boost Asthma Pipeline
Following in the footsteps of Novartis, J&J and Merck, GSK jumped into the J.P. Morgan dealmaking frenzy Tuesday, picking up respiratory and inflammation-focused Aiolos Bio.
January 9, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Entrance to Vertex's office in Boston, Massachusetts
Business
Vertex’s Viacyte Backs Out of CRISPR Diabetes Deal
Vertex still has an ongoing diabetes partnership with CRISPR, which gives it a non-exclusive license to the latter’s platform to develop a potential cure for type 1 diabetes.
January 9, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Gavel with an assortment of tablets and
Policy
Industry Group Prepares Another Lawsuit Against Florida’s Drug Importation Plan
Following the FDA’s approval of the program, PhRMA is once again suing to block Florida from importing prescription drugs from Canada.
January 9, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
External view of Novartis' office in Canada
Business
Novartis’s Dealmaking Spree Continues with Calypso Buyout, Shanghai Argo RNAi Collab
A day after inking an AI deal with Alphabet’s Isomorphic Labs, Novartis is back at it, acquiring Calypso Biotech and tying up with Shanghai Argo in two RNA-i-focused pacts.
January 8, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Nasdaq signage and building in New York City
Deals
Metagenomi, ArriVent Launch Bid for Nasdaq
The IPO window is starting to crack open this year, with Metagenomi and ArriVent making their offerings ahead of the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference.
January 8, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Businessmen shaking hands after closing a deal
Business
Lilly, Novartis Sign AI Partnership with Alphabet’s Isomorphic
The multimillion-dollar collaboration will develop small molecule drugs against undisclosed targets.
January 8, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Man in suit holding up his hand in a sto
Policy
Two Patient Deaths Force Vertex to Pause Diabetes Trial
The patient deaths were deemed unrelated to Vertex’s investigational islet cell therapy, but the study will be halted while regulatory authorities and an independent data monitoring committee review the findings.
January 8, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: bluebird bio logo on wall/device, courtesy of Pavlo Gonchar
Bluebird Secures Second Big Outcomes-Based Coverage Contract for Lyfgenia
Under the deal disclosed Thursday in an SEC filing, bluebird bio doubled the number of covered U.S. patients for its sickle cell gene therapy to a cumulative total of around 200 million people.
January 5, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Update: AbbVie headquarters building in California
Business
AbbVie Inks Two CAR-T Deals Worth Up to $1.4B with Umoja, Targets Multiple Cancers
The two agreements announced Thursday will allow AbbVie to leverage Umoja Biopharma’s VivoVec delivery platform, which enables patients’ cells to produce their own cancer-fighting CAR-T cells.
January 5, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: FDA sign at its office in Washington, DC/iStock, JHVEPhoto
Policy
FDA Probes GLP-1 Receptor Agonists on Reports of Suicidal Thoughts, Hair Loss
The regulator is launching an investigation of Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy, Eli Lilly’s Zepbound and other GLP-1 receptor agonists following patient reports of suicidal ideation, alopecia and aspiration.
January 5, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Facade of Novo Nordisk's office in Fremont, California
Business
Novo Deepens Obesity, MASH Expertise in Deals Worth $1B with Two Flagship Biotechs
Novo Nordisk’s partnerships with Flagship Pioneering-backed Omega and Cellarity, each worth up to $532 million, will explore novel treatment approaches to obesity and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis.
January 4, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Pfizer office in Brussels, Belgium/iStoc
Policy
Pfizer’s Hemophilia B Gene Therapy Wins Approval in Canada, FDA Decision Looms
With a PDUFA date in the second quarter of 2024, Pfizer is poised to compete with CSL Behring, whose Hemgenix became the first FDA-approved gene therapy for hemophilia B in November 2022.
January 4, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: CVS Health's signage outside its office in Texas
CVS to Remove AbbVie’s Humira from Reimbursement Lists, Cover Biosimilars
The pharmacy benefit management subsidiary of CVS Health is favoring Humira’s biosimilars for its major formularies, with AbbVie’s branded product to be nixed on April 1, 2024.
January 4, 2024
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Boehringer Ingelheim's office in California
Business
Boehringer Inks Potential $2B Deal with Ribo, Targets NASH-MASH with siRNA Therapies
In a collaboration agreement announced Wednesday, Boehringer Ingelheim will gain access to Ribo’s platform to target hepatocytes with investigational siRNA therapies for nonalcoholic or metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis.
January 3, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: FDA signage at its office in Washington, DC
FDA
FDA Approvals Jumped 50% in 2023 Dominated by Novel Drug Nods for Pfizer
The regulator greenlit 55 new drugs last year, seven of which belonged to Pfizer, including an ulcerative colitis treatment and a migraine nasal spray—both acquired in multibillion-dollar buys.
January 3, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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