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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.

BioMarin's headquarters in San Francisco
C-suite
BioMarin Brings on Roche, Amgen Alums in Executive Restructuring
As the biotech implements a more focused strategy for its Roctavian hemophilia A gene therapy, BioMarin has recruited two seasoned pharma executives to bolster its C-suite.
August 22, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
A top-down view of a business team holding a meeting
Startups
BridgeBio Launches GondolaBio With $300M, Transfers Programs to Joint Venture
With the help of third-party investors, the new venture will focus on three genetic and rare diseases: tuberous sclerosis complex, erythropoietic protoporphyria and alpha-A1 antitrypsin deficiency.
August 22, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
MRI scans of a human brain
Alzheimer’s disease
Biogen, Eisai’s Leqembi Gets UK Approval but Deemed Too Expensive by NICE
While approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the Alzheimer’s drug failed to win the backing of the U.K.’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, which said that its benefits were “too small to justify the cost.”
August 22, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Facade of Novo Nordisk's office in Fremont, California
GLP-1
Novo’s Semaglutide Potentially Linked to Higher Risk of Suicidal Thoughts: Study
Patients taking Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster GLP-1 drug appear to be more likely to harbor thoughts of suicide or self-harm, especially if they are already suffering from anxiety or depressive disorders, according to a new study.
August 21, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Regeneron logo on a light brown building
Approvals
FDA Denies Approval of Regeneron’s Linvoseltamab for Multiple Myeloma, Cites Third-Party Issues
The regulator’s Complete Response Letter flagged problems at a third-party fill/finish site, which Regeneron says it has already addressed. The manufacturing facility is currently awaiting reinspection.
August 21, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
U.S. and Chinese flags in concrete, broken in the middle
China
House Lawmakers Raise Alarm About US Biopharma Companies Working With Chinese Military on Trials
In a letter to FDA Commissioner Robert Califf, a House committee flagged several U.S. companies—including Eli Lilly and Pfizer—that have allegedly worked with the People’s Liberation Army on clinical trials in Xinjiang, raising ethical and intellectual property concerns.
August 21, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
A Walgreens' retail location in Indiana
Decentralized trials
Walgreens, BARDA Team in $100M Partnership to Boost Decentralized Clinical Trials
The retail pharmacy giant and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority hope to make decentralized clinical trials more accessible and representative of the U.S. population.
August 20, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
AbbVie's office in South San Francisco, California
Approvals
AbbVie, Genmab Secure European Label Expansion for Tepkinly in Follicular Lymphoma
Two months after winning FDA approval in the same indication, AbbVie and Genmab on Monday secured the European Commission’s nod for its bispecific antibody Tepkinly for the most common type of low-grade non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
August 20, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Eli Lilly's biotechnology center in California
Diabetes
Lilly’s Tirzepatide Cuts Type 2 Diabetes Risk by 94% in Overweight, Obese Adults
Eli Lilly released topline Phase III data on Tuesday showing that after more than three years of follow-up, pre-diabetic patients treated with tirzepatide were less likely to progress to type 2 diabetes.
August 20, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Entrance to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, DC
Drug pricing
More Than Half of IRA Negotiation Savings to Come From Three Drugs: Report
Amgen’s Enbrel, Bristol Myers Squibb’s Eliquis and Johnson & Johnson’s Stelara will account for 51.4% of the Inflation Reduction Act’s drug price negotiation savings in 2026, according to the Brookings Institution.
August 20, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
FDA signage at its headquarters in Maryland
Regulatory
Liquidia Misses Full Approval for Pulmonary Hypertension Drug as Competitor Retains Market Exclusivity
The FDA on Monday only granted Liquidia’s Yutrepia tentative approval, keeping it off the U.S. market until after rival United Therapeutics’ exclusivity expires in May 2025.
August 19, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Bavarian Nordic's sign outside its facility in Germany
Infectious disease
Bavarian Nordic Accelerates Mpox Vaccine Production to Respond to Global Emergency
The Danish company on Saturday announced plans to increase production of its vaccine Jynneos on the heels of the World Health Organization last week declaring mpox a global health emergency.
August 19, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
A child's hands with blisters and painful rashes
Infectious disease
Mid-Stage Study Finds Only Mpox Drug Ineffective Against Current Outbreak
SIGA Technologies’ TPOXX did not outperform placebo at resolving lesions in patients with clade I mpox, the new strain that has spread through parts of Africa and is reaching beyond the continent.
August 19, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Signage outside Genentech's headquarters in Silicon Valley
Business
Genentech Shutters Cancer Immunology Group Amid Wider R&D Reprioritization
The unit’s closure comes as Genentech’s parent Roche rethinks its cancer business, an effort that has included the discontinuation of three early-stage candidates and a T-cell partnership with Adaptimmune.
August 19, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Syringe resting on top of a vaccine vial, with more vaccine bottles in the background
Infectious disease
Pfizer, BioNTech’s Mixed Phase III Data Sets Back COVID-Flu Vaccine Candidate
The companies’ late-stage stumble could allow Moderna to widen its lead, with its mRNA-based combination vaccine eliciting superior immune responses against COVID-19 and three influenza strains.
August 16, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
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