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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 person receiving hemodialysis/iStock,
FDA
CorMedix Wins FDA Approval for Antimicrobial Drug Combo After Two Rejections
Approved under the Limited Population Pathway for Antibacterial and Antifungal Drugs, CorMedix’s DefenCath reduces the incidence of catheter-related bloodstream infections in adult hemodialysis patients.
November 16, 2023
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Gilead's corporate headquarters in Silicon Valley
Business
Gilead’s Kite Expands Arcellx Pact with $285M Equity Investment, Upfront Cash
Months after the FDA lifted its partial hold on their Phase II multiple myeloma program, Kite and Arcellx are expanding their existing development and commercialization collaboration in the blood cancer space.
November 15, 2023
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Pfizer's signage at its world headquarters in New York
Business
Pfizer to Cut 500 Jobs at UK Site as Part of $3.5B Cost-Savings Campaign
On the heels of cutting 100 jobs in Ireland, Pfizer is laying off around 500 workers from its Sandwich, Kent facility in the U.K. under its cost-reduction plan to save $3.5 billion through 2024.
November 15, 2023
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Doctor looking at brain scan images/iSto
Drug Development
ZZ Biotech Hit with Data Manipulation Allegations Regarding Stroke Trial
Whistleblowers allege that ZZ Biotech co-founder Berislav Zlokovic pressured his scientists to adjust data in favor of the investigational stroke therapy 3K3A-APC, according to a dossier obtained by Science.
November 15, 2023
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
External view of AstraZeneca's headquarters building in Silicon Valley
Drug Development
AstraZeneca Bid to Expand Imfinzi’s NSCLC Label Hit with Phase III Flop
When given with chemoradiotherapy, Imfinzi in a late-stage non-small cell lung cancer study did not lead to significant improvements in progression-free survival versus chemoradiotherapy alone.
November 14, 2023
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Businessmen shaking hands after closing a deal
Deals
Ajinomoto Targets Gene Therapy Space with $620M Forge Acquisition
The Japanese biotechnology and food company has bought into the gene therapy space with its $620 million acquisition of Ohio-based CDMO and clinical-stage biotech Forge Biologics.
November 14, 2023
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: 3D illustration of a damaged liver/iStoc
Drug Development
Ipsen, Genfit Build Case for Rare Liver Disease Drug with Phase III Data
In a late-stage trial, treatment with Ipsen and Genfit’s elafibranor led to high rates of biochemical response and the normalization of alkaline phosphatase levels compared with placebo.
November 14, 2023
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Eli Lilly's headquarters in Indianapolis
Drug Development
Lilly Notches Second Cholesterol Win with RNA Silencer
At its highest dose level of 608 mg, lepodisiran reduced lipoprotein(a) levels by a median of 94% after 48 weeks.
November 13, 2023
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Healthcare worker holding up a vial for an LDL-C test
Drug Development
Verve’s Gene Editor Cuts Cholesterol in First-in-Human HeFH Trial
When given at potentially therapeutic doses, Verve’s base editor led to strong reductions in LDL cholesterol and PCSK9 levels in patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia.
November 13, 2023
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Novo Nordisk headquarters in Silicon Valley
Drug Development
Novo Builds Wegovy’s Cardio Case with Much-Anticipated Data Drop
Novo Nordisk posted new data at AHA 2023 showing that its blockbuster weight loss drug could cut the risk of major cardiovascular events—including heart attack—across patient subgroups.
November 13, 2023
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Novo Nordisk headquarters in Silicon Valley
Novo Pumps $6B into Manufacturing to Help Meet Sky-High Wegovy Demand
In response to skyrocketing demand for its weight-loss drug Wegovy, Novo Nordisk announced Friday it is investing more than $6 billion to expand production capacity in its home country of Denmark.
November 10, 2023
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Magnetic resonance imaging scans of the brain
Drug Development
Neurocrine Hit with Back-to-Back Phase II Failures in Neuropsychiatry
The two mid-stage flops—one in major depressive disorder and another in focal onset seizures—involve drug candidates from partnerships with Xenon Pharmaceuticals and Takeda, respectively.
November 10, 2023
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Facade of Takeda's office in Massachusetts
FDA
Takeda Wins First FDA Approval for Ultra-Rare Blood Clotting Disease
The biopharma’s Adzynma, a human recombinant ADAMST13 therapeutic, is the first approved therapy for the ultra-rare clotting disorder congenital thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura.
November 10, 2023
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: FDA sign at Washington D.C. headquarters
Policy
FDA Action Alert: Pacira, CorMedix, Aldeyra and More
Over the next two weeks, the FDA is set to decide on New Drug Applications from Pacira, CorMedix and Aldeyra and hold an advisory committee meeting for two overdue confirmatory trials from Acrotech.
November 9, 2023
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5 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: AstraZeneca signage at its office in Sweden
Business
AstraZeneca Targets Obesity Market with Potential $2B Deal for Early GLP-1 Candidate
In a bid to join Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk in the lucrative, high-growth obesity market, AstraZeneca is investing in a Phase I oral GLP-1RA candidate from Shanghai-based biotech Eccogene.
November 9, 2023
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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