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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.

Collage art of a hand touching a cat. Modern and creative design with surreal style. Perfect for use in posters, editorial design, social media, digital art, and contemporary art projects
Allergies
Regeneron’s Antibodies Block Cat and Birch Allergies With ‘Robust Activity’
Regeneron’s antibody duos significantly lowered eye itching and redness, as well as pin prick reactivity, in people with cat and birch allergies. Still, BMO Capital Markets expressed uncertainty about the assets’ “commercial potential in a highly generic market.”
September 9, 2025
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Employees wonder how to evaluate job security
Lung cancer
Summit’s Keytruda Challenger Hits Cross-Country Consistency Problems, Raising US Approval Questions
Ivonescimab elicited better overall survival in Asian patients with non-small cell lung cancer than in those from North America and European countries, in Western countries narrowly missing the statistical significance threshold the FDA is seeking.
September 8, 2025
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Concept of saving money with a pink colored piggy bank held in a hand in front of a blackboard with hand drawn coins
Neuroscience
Servier Bets $450M On Kaerus’ Fragile X Syndrome Therapy
KER-0193 is a modulator of ion channels connected to autism spectrum disorder. The FDA bestowed orphan drug and rare pediatric drug designations on the candidate earlier this year.
September 8, 2025
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Creative collage image young man builder architect engineer occupation lungs healthcare illness disease drawing background.
Lung cancer
Merck, Daiichi Sankyo Stage Lung Cancer Rally With ‘Strong’ Pivotal Data for I-Dxd
According to analysts, the new data could present a path to accelerated approval for ifinatamab deruxtecan, a product of Merck and Daiichi Sankyo’s troubled ADC partnership.
September 8, 2025
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Courtesy of diegograndi/Getty Images
GLP-1
WHO Adds GLP-1s to List of Essential Medicines
The World Health Organization’s Essential Medicines list guides high-level procurement and coverage decisions for over 150 countries.
September 8, 2025
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Susan Monarez speaking to a senator at her confirmation hearing as CDC director
Government
Monarez Blasts Partisan Public Health Policy at CDC Under RFK Jr.
Ousted CDC Director Susan Monarez claimed in an op-ed published in The Wall Street Journal Thursday that she was fired for refusing to rubber-stamp COVID-19 recommendations to be made by an advisory panel that has expressed “antivaccine rhetoric.”
September 5, 2025
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Sanofi's Distribution Center in Quebec, Canada
Immunology and inflammation
Sanofi’s Anti-OX40 Blocker Falls ‘Well Below Expectations’ in Phase III Eczema Study
Despite hitting its efficacy targets in the Phase III COAST-1 study, Sanofi’s amlitelimab remains “meaningfully inferior” to Dupixent, according to analysts at Leerink Partners.
September 5, 2025
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Tristan Manalac
Business people shaking hand in China.
China
Hengrui Licenses Heart Disease Drug to US Startup for up to $1B+
Hengrui Pharmaceuticals has been busy this year, signing a nearly $2 billion cardio contract with Merck in March and a 12-asset agreement with GSK in July worth up to $12 billion.
September 5, 2025
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Gilead's headquarters in Silicon Valley
HIV
Gilead Partners With US State Department to Distribute Yeztugo to Low-Income Countries
In coordination with the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, Gilead will make its twice-yearly HIV prophylactic Yeztugo available to resource-limited countries “at no profit.”
September 5, 2025
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1 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Concept art for large layoffs showing a line of blocks a cliff
Layoffs
AC Immune Downsizes by 30%, Narrows Pipeline Focus
The reprioritization effort will help AC Immune extend its cash runway through the third quarter of 2027.
September 4, 2025
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Tristan Manalac
Washington, D.C., USA- January 13, 2020: FDA Sign at its headquarters in Washington DC. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or USFDA) is a federal agency of the USA.
Regulatory
‘All Wrapper, No Gift’: FDA Releases New Rare Disease Approval Framework
While the new framework signals continued flexibility at the FDA regarding rare disease approvals, some analysts and advocates question what tangible impacts the new guidelines will have.
September 4, 2025
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Tristan Manalac
Vaccines
Prasad Demands YouTube Remove Videos Where He Criticized COVID-19 Vaccines
YouTube has shut down a channel containing hundreds of videos of comments made by doctors and other influencers—including CBER Director Vinay Prasad, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya—during the pandemic. This comes as Prasad reveals further details about last week’s updated COVID-19 approvals.
September 4, 2025
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Tristan Manalac
Sea wave. Hand drawn realistic vector illustration in oriental vintage ukiyo-e style.
RNA editing
Wave Crashes Despite Successful RNA Editing in AATD Study
Wave’s RNA editor resulted in protein levels that were “exceedingly close” to what investors were expecting, but nevertheless fell short of that bar, according to analysts at Truist Securities.
September 4, 2025
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Tristan Manalac
Vaccines
Prasad Signals Steeper Requirements for COVID-19 Vaccines
In a series of memos last week, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research Director Vinay Prasad outlined the FDA’s thinking on the recent limited approvals for updated COVID-19 vaccines.
September 3, 2025
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Cairo, Egypt, October 31 2024: Novartis CO building in Egypt, Novartis AG is a Swiss multinational pharmaceutical corporation based in Basel, Switzerland, manufactures the drugs
Cardiovascular disease
Novartis Doubles Down on Argo Pact With Fresh $5.2B Commitment
Novartis and Argo Biopharma go back to January 2024, when the pharma first bet up to $4.165 billion across two RNAi agreements targeting cardiovascular diseases.
September 3, 2025
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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