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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.

Concept art to depict schizophrenia and split personality disorder
Neuropsychiatric disorders
Neurocrine Scraps Schizophrenia Candidate After Phase II Failure
BMO Capital Markets analyst Evan Seigerman said luvadaxistat’s inconsistencies between mid-stage trials raise questions about Neurocrine Biosciences’ developmental efforts moving forward.
September 13, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Gilead's headquarters in Silicon Valley
Infectious disease
Gilead Touts 96% HIV Risk Reduction With Twice-Yearly PrEP, Eyes Regulatory Filings
Armed with readouts from the PURPOSE 1 and 2 trials, Gilead Sciences is now gearing up for global regulatory submissions for lenacapavir as a pre-exposure prophylactic option for human immunodeficiency virus.
September 13, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Astellas' headquarters for the Americas
FDA
Astellas’ Hot Flash Drug Veozah Slapped With Another FDA Warning for Liver Injury
One patient developed elevated liver blood tests after receiving Astellas Pharma’s non-hormonal small molecule blocker, leading the regulator to add a warning to the drug’s label.
September 13, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: J&J's office in Madrid, Spain
Approvals
J&J Positions Tremfya as Stelara Successor With FDA Nod for Ulcerative Colitis
Tremfya’s ulcerative colitis approval on Wednesday comes as Johnson & Johnson’s blockbuster immunotherapy Stelara continues to face growing competition from biosimilars.
September 12, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: FDA signage at its office in Washington, DC
Adcomms
Intercept’s Ocaliva in Jeopardy as FDA Questions Efficacy, Safety Ahead of Adcomm
With a Friday advisory committee meeting looming, the sole indication for Intercept Pharmaceuticals’ Ocaliva appears to be at risk as the regulator flags issues regarding its post-marketing results.
September 12, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Facade of Moderna's building in Massachusetts
Pipeline
Moderna Slashes Annual R&D Budget by $1.1B, Eyes 10 Approvals Through 2027
In an effort to build its commercial capacity, Moderna on Thursday announced it is lowering research and development spending, while pushing back its target for breaking even by two years to 2028.
September 12, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Roche's signage at its office in France
Weight loss
Roche’s Obesity Pill Candidate Hit With Safety Concerns Despite Strong Efficacy Data
When doses were increased rapidly in a Phase I study, patients on Roche’s investigational oral GLP-1 receptor agonist experienced nausea, vomiting, constipation, diarrhea, as well as abdominal distension.
September 12, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: GSK's headquarters in London
Infectious disease
GSK Abandons Herpes Vaccine After Disappointing Phase I/II Proof-of-Concept Data
Without revealing specific details, GSK announced that it is terminating the development of its investigational herpes simplex virus vaccine after failing to meet the study’s primary efficacy objective.
September 11, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Facade of Novo Nordisk's office in Fremont, California
GLP-1
Novo’s Saxenda Effectively, Safely Lowers BMI in Children: NEJM Study
A study published Tuesday in The New England Journal of Medicine showed that children between the ages of six and 12 who took liraglutide for just over a year experienced a significant reduction in body mass index compared to placebo.
September 11, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Eli Lilly's biotechnology center in San Diego, California
Diabetes
Lilly Continues Once-Weekly Insulin Rally With Two Phase III Diabetes Readouts
The late-stage clinical trial results showed that Eli Lilly’s once-weekly insulin efsitora matched daily injections for patients with type 1 and 2 diabetes, respectively.
September 11, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Concept art showing a money icon and human hands
Funding
Bain Raises $3B for Fourth Fund to Back Promising Life Sciences Companies
Tuesday’s round brings Bain Capital Life Sciences’ fundraising total to around $6.7 billion since its founding in 2016. Many of its portfolio companies have resulted in high-value exits recently, including Cerevel Therapeutics, Aiolos Bio and Jnana Therapeutics.
September 11, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Trendy halftone collage of business concept. Money making concept. Trendy modern retro illustration. Vector illustration of business, contract approval, finance, marketing materials. Vector illustration
Startups
Roivant Creates New ‘Vant’ to License Bayer’s Pulmonary Hypertension Drug
Under an in-license agreement worth up to $294 million, Roivant Sciences gains exclusive worldwide rights from Bayer to develop and commercialize mosliciguat, a potential first-in-class inhaled soluble guanylate cyclase activator.
September 10, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
External view of the U.S. Capitol building
BIOSECURE Act
BIOSECURE Act Sails Through House Passage, Lines Up Senate Vote
The U.S. House of Representatives on Monday overwhelmingly passed the bipartisan bill, which targets WuXi AppTec, WuXi Biologics and other Chinese biotech companies as potential national security risks.
September 10, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) are targeted medicines that deliver chemotherapy agents to cancer cells 3d rendering
Antibody-drug conjugate (ADC)
AstraZeneca, Daiichi Sankyo’s Dato-DXd Fails to Significantly Improve Overall Survival in Phase III NSCLC
Despite the disappointing late-stage results in non-small cell lung cancer, Jefferies analyst Stephen Barker contends the likelihood of FDA approval “remains high” for the experimental antibody-drug conjugate, though the regulator is now more likely to convene an advisory committee.
September 10, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
3D illustartion of a B-cell producing and releasing antibodies
Startups
Candid Debuts With $370M, Targets Leadership in T Cell Engager Space
Candid Therapeutics, which is repositioning two antibodies for autoimmune indications, will be led by Ken Song who was previously CEO of RayzeBio and oversaw its $4.1 billion acquisition by Bristol Myers Squibb.
September 10, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
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