SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
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.

Composite photo collage of hands hold picket poster riot agitation strike crowd people democracy solidarity isolated on painted background.
Complete response letters
Unnamed pharma files citizen petition targeting FDA’s trove of rejection letters
The FDA in July 2025 made publicly available over 200 complete response letters—an initiative that the investment community sees as “unanimously positive,” analysts told BioSpace.
April 23, 2026
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Collage halftone banner with two hands that put objects on scales. Halftone hands holding circle and square and put them on the scales. Concept of business balance in teamwork. Vector illustration.
Obesity
Roche insists amylin obesity drug still valuable for patients who ‘don’t want side effects’
Roche and Zealand Pharma announced last month that their amylin analog petrelintide elicited a 9% placebo-controlled weight reduction at 42 weeks—falling far below analyst and investor expectations.
April 23, 2026
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
View of Chicago Skyline from North Avenue Beach
Neuroscience
AAN 2026: J&J, Kyverna, Capricor and Praxis showcase practice-changing data
This year’s American Academy of Neurology meeting included a presentation that could one day set a new treatment standard for myasthenia gravis.
April 23, 2026
 · 
4 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
stock pile of used auto parts store for sale recycle, car old wheel hub spare part from scrapyard
Business
Lilly exits Rigel alliance, adding to RIPK1 scrap heap
Eli Lilly and Rigel Pharmaceuticals partnered in February 2021 to advance a pair of RIPK1 blockers, but the pharma in October last year pulled the plug on one of these programs for central nervous system indications.
April 22, 2026
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Wooden blocks with arrow and error icon. Delays and disruptions, stop the process, critical error concept
GLP-1
Lilly, Novo dip as proposed Medicare coverage for GLP-1 pilot thrown off balance
Two of the biggest insurance providers have expressed reluctance to participate in the government’s BALANCE program that would have made GLP-1 drugs more affordable to patients.
April 22, 2026
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Thumb up close-up in surgical, medical gloves, gesture, recommendation for a successful operation. Pink background.
Regulatory
Amid US ordeal, Moderna wins EU approval for flu/COVID-19 combo shot
In the U.S., Moderna withdrew its approval application for the combination vaccine in May last year and the timeline for resubmission remains uncertain.
April 22, 2026
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Composite photo collage of two players hold chess board game hobby tactic horse queen championship leisure isolated on painted background.
Approvals
Merck steps up as ‘meaningful competitor’ to Gilead with HIV pill approval
The newly approved HIV drug Idvynso will also help Merck diversify as loss of exclusivity looms over its top-selling product, the mega-blockbuster cancer drug Keytruda.
April 22, 2026
 · 
1 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
diffrerent stars on a podium, 3d illustration
IPO
The 5 largest IPOs in biopharma history
With an IPO raise of $625 million, Kailera Therapeutics now holds the new record for the largest public market debut.
April 22, 2026
 · 
9 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Target, miss the target, target shooting, dart, correct decisions, bow and arrow, dart on target, hits and misses (3d illustration)
Kidney cancer
Merck, Eisai’s Keytruda triplet fails to improve survival in kidney cancer
A triplet regimen comprising Merck’s Welireg and PD-1 blockbuster Keytruda and Eisai’s Lenvima flopped in a Phase 3 renal cell carcinoma trial.
April 21, 2026
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Sunset illuminating the tall skyscrapers of San Diego in California from Centennial Park in Coronado
Cancer
AACR 2026: Moderna, Revolution, Zymeworks and BeOne showcase new data
Moderna, Revolution Medicines and Zymeworks record wins in melanoma, lung and breast cancers, while BeOne swings and misses at head and neck cancer.
April 21, 2026
 · 
4 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Conceptual business illustration of upcoming business problem metaphor with falling domino and businessman silhouette. Minimalistic vector eps 10 illustration
Lung cancer
Gilead, Arcus tumble again in TIGIT, triggering 2 trial culls
The Phase 3 failure has prompted Gilead Sciences and Arcus Biosciences to terminate a mid-stage study of their TIGIT asset in lung cancer.
April 21, 2026
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
A contemporary artistic collage featuring a hand holding a trophy. The concept of victory and achievement.
Sickle cell disease
Novo’s late-stage sickle cell win piles pressure on competitors
Novo Nordisk’s etavopivat elicited a 27% drop in vaso-occlusive crises and 48.7% hemoglobin response after 24 weeks, creating “separation amongst PK class candidates,” Truist analysts said on Monday. Novo plans to seek FDA approval in the back half of 2026.
April 20, 2026
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
IPO Initial Public Offering finance business concept. 3D render vector illustration of Trading on IPO Initial Public Offering, Business Startup and Stock Market Concept. Public offering share launch
IPO tracker
Odyssey tests IPO waters anew after quitting quest last year
Analysts are cautiously optimistic about an IPO rebound for biopharma. BioSpace is keeping track of companies that seek to trade on the public markets this year.
April 20, 2026
 · 
10 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Two boxing gloves give a fist bump on a colored background. Collage art
Lung cancer
Merck’s early PD-1/VEGF data competitive in lung cancer, but Summit ‘looms large’
While Merck’s PD-1/VEGF asset appears to match the performance of Summit Therapeutics’ ivonescimab, the pharma’s Phase 1/2 readout in non-small cell lung cancer still leaves analysts with some questions moving into later-stage development.
April 20, 2026
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Reaching an agreement. Businessmen shake hands and make a deal. vector
Mergers & acquisitions
UCB elevates epilepsy expertise with up to $1.15B Neurona takeover
The acquisition of Neurona will put UCB in both the epilepsy and cell therapy space, even as many of its fellow pharmas move away from the latter modality.
April 20, 2026
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Load More