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Tristan Manalac

Tristan Manalac

Senior Staff Writer

Tristan is BioSpace‘s senior staff writer. Based in Metro Manila, Tristan has 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.

Illustration of man free fall, surreal failure concept
Earnings
Alnylam absorbs $10.8B blowback after cutting full-year guidance for TTR franchise
Alnylam’s revenue cut “may create a near term credibility overhang and could “raise questions on peak sales potential, even if there’s tailwinds in the competitive landscape,” according to Stifel.
July 31, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Stress burden, anxiety from work difficulty and overload, problem in economic crisis or pressure from too much responsibility concept, tried exhausted businessman carrying heavy messy line on his back
Regulatory
UniQure welcomes possible adcomm for Huntington’s asset as regulatory ‘jitters’ spread through biopharma
UniQure is ready to put its Huntington’s disease gene therapy through an advisory committee meeting—even as the broader rare disease space has been put on edge by recent FDA scrutiny of assets by Replimune and Capricor.
July 31, 2026
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Businessman on Red and white sailing boat in the ocean, Leadership and Business concept, Creative idea, Future success. Paper art vector and illustration. The sky after Raining and big strom.
CAR-T
J&J secures right to take the helm in up to $925M Sail CAR T pact
As part of the collaboration, Johnson & Johnson will have an exclusive option to acquire Sail Biomedicines for an additional $2.58 billion.
July 30, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Light
Earnings
Sanofi’s new CEO wants more ‘realistic view’ of Phase 3 go/no-go decisions
Sanofi is going to “look very deeply” at its late-stage pipeline as part of a portfolio prioritization initiative, though new CEO Belén Garijo didn’t commit to shelving a specific number of assets.
July 30, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Contemporary art collage of a hand holding scissors. Copy space for ad. Modern design.
Earnings
Incyte cuts early-stage cancer drug to focus on next-gen programs
Investors are focused on Incyte’s late-stage programs as the biotech braces for the 2028 patent cliff of its leading product Jakafi.
July 29, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Art collage, Two hands are shown holding a legal document and a gavel, with scales of justice in the center. The colorful background enhances the theme of law and order, highlighting the importance of justice.
Legal
Novo ordered to face CagriSema fraud claims from shareholders: New Jersey court
Shareholders allege that Novo Nordisk withheld information about crucial protocol changes in a Phase 3 study of the weight loss drug CagriSema, which led investors to buy company shares “at artificially inflated prices.”
July 29, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Rocket rising moving up with growthing graph bar. Marketing time, Start up business, Business success strategy, New project. Rocket launch. Business startup concept. 3d minimal render illustration
GLP-1
Altimmune rises as GLP-1/glucagon drug curbs heavy drinking in mid-stage study
Pemvidutide showed a “highly statistically significant” treatment effect in patients with alcohol use disorder. Altimmune is going up against Eli Lilly and newcomer Baseline Therapeutics, among others, in this space.
July 28, 2026
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Halftone hands shake coins out of paper money. Modern collage. Concept of inflation, bankruptcy, poverty. Financial difficulties
IPO
Apnimed eyes up to $160M IPO to prep for sleep apnea drug launch
If the offering closes, Apnimed will join the 2026 IPO class that has already far surpassed last year’s total.
July 28, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Winding road leads to the light of the lighthouse. Stock vector illustration
Rare diseases
Oak Hill takes SPAC track to Nasdaq with Roche asset in tow
Oak Hill Bio is developing the antisense therapy rugonersen, which it licensed from Roche in 2025, for Angelman syndrome.
July 28, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Calm Businessman Meditating on Red Domino Preventing Chain Reaction and Crisis 2d flat vector illustration
Earnings
AstraZeneca has no plans to ramp up dealmaking in wake of Wainua failure
AstraZeneca remains “very much on track” to hit its 2030 goal of reaching $80 billion in revenue despite the recent late-stage failure of Wainua in ATTR-cardiomyopathy, CEO Pascal Soriot said during the company’s Q2 earnings presentation on Monday.
July 27, 2026
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac
A silhouette of a head with a pink brain inside, surrounded by various graphic elements, a light bulb, puzzle pieces, speech bubbles, a key and abstract doodles. The concept of thinking, creativity.
Approvals
Otsuka’s ADHD approval opens up new drug class with $615M opportunity
Otsuka Pharmaceutical plans to launch Simtriyo—the first norepinephrine, dopamine, serotonin reuptake inhibitor—later this year following scheduling by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.
July 27, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Big fish eats small, takeover of the company. Art collage.
Mergers & acquisitions
Argenx deepens immuno expertise with $2.2B Forte Biosciences buy
The star of the takeover is Forte Biosciences’ investigational antibody therapy, FB102, which has shown early potential in vitiligo and celiac disease.
July 27, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Close-up view of a vivid blue railway signal light illuminating a track at golden hour sunset, providing crucial safety guidance for efficient train operations and future transportation
CAR-T
Lilly, AbbVie climb aboard in vivo CAR T train—but safety remains a hurdle
Safety will be the key determinant of in vivo CAR T therapies, according to H.C. Wainwright’s Mitchel Kapoor, who noted that convenience and efficacy won’t be enough to impress investors in this space. Eli Lilly, AbbVie, AstraZeneca and more are up for the challenge.
July 27, 2026
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8 min read
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Tristan Manalac
A two old parchment scrolls with a quill in a inkwell on a white background
IPO
Scribe reels in nearly $129M in rare early-stage IPO for a gene editing biotech
Jennifer Doudna–founded Scribe Therapeutics intends to use the proceeds from the public offering—the first for a gene editing outfit in over two years—to support development of its epigenetic silencing therapy for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
July 24, 2026
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Illustration of man's surreal path, business abstract concept
Earnings
Summit has less than a year of cash runway left as PD-1/VEGF verdict nears
Summit’s star asset is the PD-1/VEGF bispecific ivonescimab, which this week produced promising survival data from a late-stage global trial in non-small cell lung cancer. The FDA review is ongoing with a decision expected by Nov. 14.
July 24, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac