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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.

A handshake of businessmen. Modern design with a positive context. Concept of help, support, and agreement between businessmen. Modern art collage, trendy magazine style.
Mergers & acquisitions
Novo, Catalent $16.5B Deal Wins EU Blessing as US Antitrust Scrutiny Mounts
In the U.S., the chorus of opposition against the proposed buyout continues to grow and now includes the CEOs of Roche and Lilly, a broad coalition of unions and consumer groups and at least one senator.
December 9, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Note paper with blood donation concept on red background
Sickle cell disease
Vertex, Beam Report SCD Cell and Gene Therapies Advances at ASH 2024
Vertex unveiled long-term durability data for Casgevy, while Beam presented Phase I/II findings for its investigational base editor BEAM-101, building up to a BLA by late 2026.
December 9, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
A scientist with pill bottles in front of FDA headquarters
Regulatory
FDA Action Alert: Ionis, Lexicon, Bristol Myers Squibb and More
The FDA’s year-end rush includes nine target action dates, mostly for rare disease and cancer therapies.
December 9, 2024
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7 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Businessman holding a dart aiming at the target - business targeting, aiming, focus concept. Art collage.
Bladder cancer
Protara, CG Oncology Tout Promising Bladder Cancer Outcomes
Protara is advancing a cell therapy that triggers both adaptive and innate antitumor immune responses, while CG Oncology’s approach makes use of an oncolytic immunotherapy that preferentially targets cancer cells and proliferates inside them, destroying them from the inside.
December 6, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Eli Lilly's biotechnology center in California
Manufacturing
Lilly Pumps $3B Into Wisconsin Site as Compounders Close In on Tirzepatide
Eli Lilly is aggressively ramping up its manufacturing capacity for tirzepatide as compounding pharmacies continue to challenge an FDA decision to formally end the shortage of the obesity and diabetes drug.
December 6, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Amgen sign at its headquarters in Thousand Oaks, California, USA.
Manufacturing
Amgen to Add 370 New Jobs in North Carolina With $1B Manufacturing Investment
It is not clear what specifically the new facility will produce, though Amgen could be ramping up its manufacturing capacity as it prepares to enter the obesity space with MariTide.
December 6, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: AstraZeneca building in Gothenburg/iStoc
China
AstraZeneca Names New International Operations Lead Amid Probe on China Exec
Iskra Reic will continue to serve as the pharma’s senior vice president for Vaccines and Immune Therapies as she steps in for Leon Wang, who was detained by Chinese authorities in November.
December 5, 2024
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Handshake gesture contemporary collage art. Celebrating success, congratulating for financial and business partnership, job contract deal, mutual friendship and respect. Abstract illustration isolated.
Alzheimer’s disease
GSK Strikes Third Agreement This Week, Leans Further Into Neuro
The Muna partnership will give GSK access to Muna’s MiND-MAP platform, which it will apply to postmortem brain samples to identify potential therapeutic targets for Alzheimer’s disease.
December 5, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Novartis' office building in Marburg, Germany
Legal
Novartis Loses Appeal to Bar Entresto Generic From U.S. Market
Novartis is seeking to prevent the entry of generics for its blockbuster heart failure drug Entresto, its top-selling asset that brought in more than $6 billion in net global sales last year.
December 5, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Human hand holding jar with coins. Investment, stock market, trading activity and savings. Contemporary art collage. Concept of business, office, trade market, success, growth. Poster, ad
Drug pricing
Bluebird, Vertex/CRISPR’s SCD Gene Therapies Get New CMS Payment Model
The payment scheme will tie gene therapy payments to improvements in health outcomes—and could potentially boost the uptake of these sickle cell disease treatments.
December 5, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Facade of Novo Nordisk's office in Fremont, California
Manufacturing
Novo Continues Manufacturing Spending Spree With $400M Denmark Expansion, $200M Plant Purchase
In recent months Novo Nordisk has invested several billions of dollars to boost its manufacturing capacity—including its highly contested $16.5 billion merger with CDMO giant Catalent.
December 5, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Eli Lilly's headquarters in Indianapolis
Obesity
Lilly Claims Key Weight Loss Victory Over Novo in Head-to-Head Study
SURMOUNT-5’s results reflect those of multiple real-world studies, which have found that tirzepatide treatment results in stronger weight loss than semaglutide.
December 4, 2024
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac
FDA signage at its headquarters in Maryland
Regulatory
FDA Warns Applied Therapeutics of ‘Objectionable Conditions’ in Govorestat Study
The agency’s warning letter outlines Applied Therapeutics’ failure to provide adequate information regarding the clinical trial—including a dosing error for govorestat—claims that the company said it had already addressed.
December 4, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
3D illustration of tow GLP-1 therapy autoinjectors
Weight loss
Amylin Commands Weight Loss Attention as Industry Anticipates Novo’s Phase III CagriSema Readout
Amylin analogs present a strong alternative or complement to GLP-1 receptor agonists, potentially eliciting higher-quality weight loss with a cleaner tolerability profile.
December 4, 2024
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Deerfield - Circa June 2019: Takeda Pharmaceutical Company. Takeda recently acquired Irish drugmaker Shire I
Collaboration
Takeda Puts Up to $1.3B on the Line for Keros’ Blood Cancer Anemia Drug
Keros’ elritercept has shown promising efficacy signals in myelofibrosis and myelodysplastic syndromes and could pose a formidable challenge to Bristol Myers Squibb’s Reblozyl.
December 3, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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