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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.

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
Gilead's headquarters in Silicon Valley
Antibody-drug conjugate
Gilead Plots ADC Comeback With Potential $415M License Agreement
The deal with Tubulis will help Gilead regain its footing in the ADC space following the withdrawal of Trodelvy in bladder cancer and its late-stage fail in NSCLC.
December 3, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Businessman jump careful on cracked or broken graph. Job opportunity and career. concept of under pressure. risk, financial, and tax
Layoffs
Alligator Axes 70% of Staff Amid ‘Capital Constraints,’ Renews Pancreatic Cancer Focus
Alongside the layoffs, Alligator will also suspend work on all of its earlier-stage assets and devote its resources to lead candidate mitazalimab, being developed for the frontline treatment of metastatic pancreatic cancer.
December 3, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Novartis' logo outside its building in S
Huntington’s disease
Novartis Pays Up to $2.9B in Huntington’s Deal With PTC
Monday’s agreement comes days after PTC discontinued the development of another asset, utreloxastat, due to disappointing Phase II data in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
December 2, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Colorful DNA molecule. Structure of the genetic code. Genetic Syndrome and Genetic Disorder, 3D illustration of science concept.
Gene therapy
Bluebird’s Gene Therapy Skysona Under FDA Safety Probe for Hematologic Malignancies
The cancers were diagnosed 19 to 92 months after Skysona treatment.
December 2, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Contemporary art collage of hand holding an arrow showing fall. Modern design. Copy space.
Complete response letters
Applied Therapeutics Crashes After FDA Rejection of Rare Disease Drug
After extending its review period to evaluate additional submissions, the FDA ultimately denied Applied Therapeutics’ govorestat for galactosemia, citing “deficiencies” with the application. The biotech plans to meet with the regulator to discuss the best way forward for the drug.
December 2, 2024
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Businessman holding a dart aiming at the target - business targeting, aiming, focus concept. Art collage.
Cancer
AstraZeneca/Daiichi Sankyo, BioNTech, Merus to Present Promising Cancer Therapies at ESMO Asia 2024
At the conference, AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo will present their case for Dato-DXd in NSCLC, while BioNTech and Merus will reveal promising mid-stage data for their respective cancer candidates.
December 2, 2024
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4 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Correct decision chosing - confused man character standing on the crossroads and looking at signpost with three different directions - conceptual vector illustration
Neurodegenerative disease
PTC Scraps ALS Asset Utreloxastat After Mid-Stage Fail, Analysts Look to PKU Opportunity
Despite the “unfortunate” failure, William Blair analysts do not believe that the utreloxastat readout will heavily affect PTC, instead postulating that the upcoming FDA decision on its phenylketonuria candidate sepiapterin will be a stronger driver of the biotech’s stock.
November 27, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Bethesda, Maryland 09/12/2020: View of the main historical building (Building 1) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) inside Bethesda campus. U.S. Public Health Service seal is seen on top of it
Government
Trump Picks Stanford’s Jay Bhattacharya as NIH Lead
Trump is rounding out his health cabinet with another controversial figure: one of the authors of the Great Barrington Declaration, which advocated for herd immunity through infection during the COVID-19 pandemic.
November 27, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Silhouette of a head with a cloud. Thought in the head of man. This is a 3d render illustration
Alzheimer’s disease
Alector’s AbbVie-Partnered Alzheimer’s Program Fails Phase II, Triggering a 17% Layoff
Alector is kicking off a resource realignment effort that will include a workforce reduction. The biotech expects its current cash position to last it through 2026.
November 26, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: AstraZeneca building in Gothenburg/iStoc
Prostate cancer
AstraZeneca’s Truqap Redeems Itself with Phase III Prostate Cancer Win
Truqap’s positive clinical data comes after it failed a late-stage study in metastatic triple-negative breast cancer. It helps AstraZeneca position itself as a top player in the prostate cancer space, alongside its Big Pharma colleagues.
November 26, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Missed Target
Neurodegenerative disease
Biohaven Drug Misses in Phase III for SMA, Will Be Tested in Obesity
While taldefgrobep alfa failed to show improved motor function in spinal muscular atrophy, treated patients saw a marked reduction in body fat. Biohaven plans to launch a Phase II trial in obesity by the end of the year.
November 25, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Banner. Contemporary art collage. Charity or alms. Person handing single coin to another person. Grainy fabric effect. Concept of business, financial literacy, debts, banking, salary. Ad
Series B
Adcendo Rides ADC Wave With $135M Series B
Adcendo joins a growing group of biotechs working to usher the next generation of antibody-drug conjugates to the market.
November 25, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Front view of the CDC museum in Georgia
Government
Trump Picks Vaccine Critic Weldon to Lead CDC, Makary for FDA Head
Career conservative and former congressman Dave Weldon will, if confirmed, act as director of the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, where his anti-vaccine views will mesh with those of selected Department of Health and Human Services head Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
November 25, 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: Applied Therapeutics Awaits Verdict on Rare Disease Therapy
With two decisions originally scheduled for this week already announced, including BridgeBio’s approval in ATTR-CM, the regulator has just one PDUFA on its plate this holiday week.
November 25, 2024
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1 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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