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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.

Exeternal view of the Servier's headquarters in France
Approvals
Servier Gets FDA Approval for First Targeted Therapy for Grade 2 IDH-Mutant Glioma
Servier Pharmaceuticals’ vorasidenib on Tuesday secured the FDA’s green light for the treatment of patients with grade 2 gliomas carrying mutations in the IDH gene.
August 7, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Amgen sign at its headquarters in Thousand Oaks, California, USA.
Earnings
Amgen Touts Q2 Growth Bolstered by Horizon Buy, Promising Obesity Pipeline
The company is projecting that future growth will be driven by geographic and label expansions for its rare disease assets, as well as potential approvals in obesity.
August 7, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Bayer's factory and office in Berlin
Earnings
Bayer Touts ‘Modest’ Q2 Performance Amid Sweeping Reorganization
Bayer’s surprising growth in the second quarter was driven in large part by two pharma products: the prostate cancer drug Nubeqa and the chronic kidney disease treatment Kerendia.
August 6, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
BioMarin's headquarters in San Francisco
Gene therapy
BioMarin Narrows Roctavian Efforts to U.S., Germany, Italy as Sales Stagnate
BioMarin Pharmaceuticals on Monday said it is restricting sales of its hemophilia A gene therapy to three countries in an effort to reduce costs and help the treatment become profitable by 2025.
August 6, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Business partners shaking hands after closing a deal
Mergers & Acquisitions
Mallinckrodt Offloads Therakos Photopheresis Business to CVC Capital Partners for $925M
The specialty pharmaceutical company has twice filed for bankruptcy in recent years, driven by opioid-related litigation. Mallinckrodt’s deal with CVC will allow it to pay off more than half of its net debt.
August 6, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
3D illustration of blood cells being produced in the bone marrow
Cancer
Actinium to Farm Out AML Radioactive Drug After FDA Asks for Another Trial
The FDA is looking for stronger overall survival data to back Actinium’s application for Iomab-B, an investigational therapy that will allow acute myeloid leukemia patients to receive bone marrow transplants.
August 6, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Sign outside BioNTech's building in Germany
Earnings
BioNTech’s Losses Jump Fourfold in Q2 Amid COVID-19 Cliff, Shift to Cancer
BioNTech on Monday reported nearly $885 million in losses in the second quarter of 2024, compared to $208.5 million during the same period last year.
August 5, 2024
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Eli Lilly's world headquarters in Indianapolis
Drug shortages
Lilly’s Mounjaro and Zepbound No Longer on FDA Drug Shortage List
All doses of Eli Lilly’s type 2 diabetes medication Mounjaro and weight-loss drug Zepbound are now available, according to an update on Friday to the FDA’s drug shortage database.
August 5, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Facade of the FDA's office in Maryland
Adcomms
Zevra Gains Support of Adcomm, Clears Hurdle for Potential Rare Disease Approval
An FDA advisory committee agreed on Friday that Zevra Therapeutics had provided sufficient efficacy data supporting the approval of arimoclomol for Niemann-Pick disease type C.
August 5, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
A closed sign hanging on the door of a business
Business
Big Pharma-Backed Ribon Therapeutics Shuts Down Business Operations
Despite having an impressive roster of high-profile supporters, including AbbVie, BMS, J&J, Novartis and Pfizer, PARP-focused Ribon has called it quits after nearly a decade in business.
August 5, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
3D rendering of a T-cell
Approvals
Adaptimmune’s Tecelra Becomes First FDA-Approved Engineered Cell Therapy for Solid Tumors
Approved under the regulator’s accelerated pathway, Tecelra is also the first new synovial sarcoma therapy in more than a decade, according to Adaptimmune Therapeutics.
August 2, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
GSK's office in Dresden, Germany
Approvals
GSK Wins Broad Label Expansion for Jemperli in First-Line Endometrial Cancer
In pursuit of Merck’s blockbuster Keytruda, GSK’s Jemperli scored its own broad FDA label expansion, allowing its use in first-line endometrial cancer regardless of biomarker status.
August 2, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Business people holding a meeting in a conference room
Earnings
Vir Lays Off 25% of Staff, Abandons Most Virus Work and Pivots to Cancer in Sanofi Deal
As part of a major reorganization, Vir Biotechnology has discontinued the bulk of its virology work and pivoted to cancer in an exclusive licensing deal with Sanofi.
August 2, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Vertex Pharmaceuticals' headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts
Pipeline
Vertex Scraps Two Phase I AATD Candidates Following Disappointing Data
Poor efficacy data for two early-stage candidates for the rare disease alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency have convinced Vertex Pharmaceuticals to terminate their development.
August 2, 2024
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Tristan Manalac
Lilly's Institute for Genetic Medicine building in Boston
Cardiovascular disease
Lilly’s Tirzepatide Clears Phase III Cardiovascular Study on Heels of Novo
Eli Lilly on Thursday released late-stage data showing a 38% reduction in the risk of heart failure outcomes, as it plays catch-up with Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide which won the FDA’s cardio nod in March.
August 1, 2024
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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