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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.

Control, Complex work, Businessman balancing on a ball
Deals
Boehringer Seeks To Rebalance Immunity With Sitryx Collab Potentially Worth $500M+
While Boehringer Ingelheim hasn’t yet revealed what diseases it will go after, Sitryx’s oral drug candidate could potentially be disease-modifying for a variety of autoimmune and inflammatory conditions.
February 26, 2026
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1 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Two arrow signs representing the new way and old way approach to business
Regulatory
Atara Climbs Amid Report of FDA Inconsistency Leading to Cell Therapy’s Rejection
The rejection of Atara Biotherapeutics’ Ebvallo in January was a “complete reversal” of the conesensus FDA reviewers had come to, according to a former agency employee, who said manufacturing problems were the only approvability barrier for the drug.
February 26, 2026
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1 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Working man icon pushing the load on the line. Hard work, labor, effort and determination concept.
HIV
Gilead, Merck Clear Path to Market for Daily HIV Pills With New Late-Stage Data
At the 2026 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, Gilead and Merck demonstrated that their respective daily oral HIV drugs can match current therapies in keeping the virus at bay.
February 26, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
change one's mind, decision, direction
Gene editing
Pfizer Advances Beam’s Gene Editor After Pulling Hemophilia Gene Therapy
Pfizer will be responsible for all global clinical and regulatory activities for Beam Therapeutics’ liver-directed gene editor.
February 26, 2026
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1 min read
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Tristan Manalac
A pill bottle in between two injector pens
Weight loss
Novo Leans Into Oral Route With Weight Loss Partnership Worth up to $2.1B
After its next-generation obesity asset CagriSema lost a head-to-head matchup with Eli Lilly’s Zepbound, Novo Nordisk is throwing more money into the obesity space, striking a deal with Vivtex to advance novel weight loss pills.
February 25, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
The white plane flies against the blue sky, leaving a white trail. Vector illustration
Vaccines
Postponed ACIP Meeting Rescheduled for Mid-March
The rescheduling of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices comes amid fresh leadership upheaval at the CDC as NIH director Jay Bhattacharya replaces Jim O’Neill as acting head of the agency.
February 25, 2026
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Dollar boat swimming on paper waves
Startups
Harbour Cofunds Cancer Startup, Hands Off Clinical-Stage Antibody
Solstice Oncology will gain an exclusive worldwide license to Harbour BioMed’s porustobrt, an anti-CTLA-4 antibody currently being studied for melanoma, colorectal cancer and other malignancies in China.
February 25, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Alarm clock with pause sign, take a break, menopause concept, hormone replacement therapy
Regulatory
Patient Death Forces Partial Freeze on MacroGenics’ Gynecologic Cancer Study
A trial of a MacroGenics’ drug temporarily paused enrollment after several safety events, including a fatality. The deceased patient had developed a severe case of neutropenia and concurrent septic shock.
February 25, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Art collage, coins, and arrow up on the red and paper background. Concept of business and financial growth.
Funding
Slate, Alveus Raise Hefty Series A Hauls for Migraine, Obesity Drugs
Slate Medicines will move forward with a migraine drug from a Chinese biotech, while Alveus Therapeutics will advance a dual GLP-1/GIPR fusion protein for weight loss.
February 25, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
screenshot of Marty Makary speaking on the Megyn Kelly Show
Vaccines
FDA’s Makary Backs mRNA Vaccines but Says Companies ‘Can Fund Their Own Research’
In August last year, the Health Department cut around $500 million in mRNA research funding, with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. saying the agency would instead divert the money “toward safer, broader vaccine platforms.”
February 24, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Business people shaking hand in China.
GLP-1
Pfizer Builds Global GLP-1 Strategy With up to $495M Sciwind Deal
Ecnoglutide, which Pfizer licensed from Sciwind Biosciences, is already approved in China for type 2 diabetes mellitus, and a marketing application for weight loss has been accepted by regulatory authorities in the country.
February 24, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Business and financial crisis vector concept with businessman falling down the hole. Symbol of market crash, recession, risk, bankruptcy and loss. Eps10 illustration.
Cardiovascular disease
Gossamer Nosedives as Late-Stage Failure Plunges PAH Program Into Uncertainty
Following a disappointing Phase 3 performance and given Gossamer Bio’s balance sheet, seralutinib’s path to the market for pulmonary arterial hypertension has become unclear, according to analysts at Guggenheim Partners.
February 24, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Contemporary art collage. Purple hand holding fan of dollar bills against bright yellow background. stock photo
Collaboration
Astellas Bets up to $1.7B for Vir’s ‘Robust Competitor’ in Prostate Cancer
In a Phase 1 study, 82% of patients on VIR-5500 achieved at least a 50% reduction in PSA levels—a result analysts praised as competitive in the prostate cancer space.
February 24, 2026
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2 min read
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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
Generate’s IPO Could Reach $425M, Largest Raise Yet
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.
February 24, 2026
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5 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Conceptual origami paper plane pulling business finance growth chart line flying upwards on blue sky background.
Approvals
Vanda Rebounds From Jet Lag Rejection With FDA Nod for Bipolar, Schizophrenia Drug
Bysanti is based on iloperidone, an active metabolite of a compound that forms the core of Fanapt, another drug by Vanda Pharmaceuticals.
February 23, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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