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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.

Money or health. Scale of balance between money, dollar and medicine, pill. Cost of health. Compare of price healthcare and healthy. Seesaw between wealth and healthy. Treatment or savings. Vector.
Approvals
Ultragenyx wins FDA greenlight for first Sanfilippo therapy, priced at nearly $4M
The market approval for Fayuvi, which was rejected in 2025 due to manufacturing problems, comes shortly after Ultragenyx got the FDA nod for its first gene therapy last month.
September 18, 2026
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Sorting garbage concept. Cropped photo of paper thash. Crumple paper falling to the recycling bin
Cancer
BMS scraps Orum’s targeted degrader after reviewing Phase 1 data
Bristol Myers Squibb acquired the degrader-antibody conjugate from Orum Therapeutics in 2023 for $100 million upfront and the possibility of up to $80 million more in milestones.
September 18, 2026
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1 min read
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Tristan Manalac
A brain hovers over a hand against a yellow-striped background
Neuroscience
Novartis drops $125M for Sironax’s tech to cross blood-brain barrier
Novartis stands alongside Big Pharma peers that have similarly invested in technologies to penetrate the blood-brain barrier, including GSK, Roche and Eli Lilly.
September 17, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Stagflation, economic slow down or recession while inflation high up, GDP growth decrease causing by unemployment concept, fearful businessman riding fall down economic graph with inflation high up.
Cardiovascular disease
Longeveron’s shares crash as stem cell therapy flunks mid-stage cardio trial
With just over $10 million in cash available to fuel operations through the end of the year, Longeveron is undertaking a strategic review after the failure of a cardiovascular study.
September 17, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Investment mistakes, taxes, expenses, and unknown costs drain money, concept of Businessman carries a money bag with a big hole, banknotes falling out
Immunology and inflammation
Roche bets up to $1B to advance next-gen bispecifics with Dualitas
The partners will focus R&D efforts on immunological and inflammatory conditions using Dualitas’ DualScreen Bispecific Discovery Engine platform.
September 17, 2026
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1 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Businessman holding a net bag chasing banknotes in the air, business concept illustration
Funding
Sling catches $123M series C for thyroid eye disease pill
Sling Therapeutics is advancing the first late-stage oral drug for thyroid eye disease that, if approved, could compete against Amgen and Viridian Therapeutics.
September 16, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Successful entrepreneurs in the business world lead the company to its peak.
Commercialization
5 biotechs braving the commercial waters with product launches
A growing number of biotechs are entering the market with newly launched medicines, a pattern indicative of “improving capital markets,” according to Jefferies’ Andrew Tsai.
September 16, 2026
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8 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Illustration of scales of justice tipping to one side
Lung cancer
Despite 3 patient deaths, Cullinan-Taiho plan FDA filing for lung cancer pill on survival benefit
Analysts believe Cullinan Therapeutics and Taiho Oncology can overcome the safety risks as zipalertinib “sets [a] new bar” for first-line treatment of a type of lung cancer. The candidate is already under review for the the second-line setting, with a decision expected by early next year.
September 15, 2026
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Illustration depicting layoffs with index finger overturning row of businessmen standing on big hands
Layoffs
GSK lays off 650 staffers amid closure of German vaccine manufacturing site
GSK is consolidating its vaccine manufacturing operations to one site—located in Canada—amid the pharma’s recent $2.5 billion savings campaign.
September 15, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
vector illustration arrows miss the target board, concept of lost in focus, failure, fail, mistake
Breast cancer
AstraZeneca’s newly approved cancer pill fails late-stage study, blocking path to bigger market
SERENA-4 was assessing AstraZeneca’s Etcamah as a first-line option for certain patients with advanced breast cancer—a setting that could have meant a $2.9 billion opportunity for the drug.
September 14, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Illustration of hands with thumbs up in a row, radiating positivity and consensus in bright tones on a clean background
Approvals
Scholar Rock secures first FDA approval for muscle-targeting rare disease drug
Scholar Rock’s spinal muscular atrophy drug, now to be called Isembyld, was originally rejected in September 2025, when the FDA cited compliance problems at a third-party manufacturer.
September 14, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
The imaginary track arena is modelled and rendered.
Cancer
5 drugmakers chasing Merck and Moderna in the cancer vaccine race
Following their blowout win in melanoma last month, Merck and Moderna are leading the way among a new crop of personalized cancer vaccines. Here are five companies with similar therapies hoping to break through where others have previously failed.
September 14, 2026
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9 min read
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Tristan Manalac
illustration of people racing along arrows
Cancer
Disc sets up polycythemia vera challenge but Silence maintains lead
The polycythemia vera field is heating up, with Disc Medicine and Silence Therapeutics each advancing next-generation therapies, playing catch-up to Takeda and Protagonist Therapeutics, who won the FDA’s approval last month for Mimrylo.
September 11, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Concept of money prize. Vector illustration. Halftone hand holds bouquet of money flowers. Gift prize, donation, earnings, bonus or cashback concept. Retro poster or banner. Creative trend collage.
Venture capital
Frazier adds $1.1B+ to small and mid-sized biotech fund
Frazier’s life science fund has already benefited several successful biotechs, including Verona Pharma, which was acquired by Merck for $10 billion, and Carmot Therapeutics, which Roche bought for $2.7 billion.
September 11, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
A pay raise signals salary increase, income growth, rising investment profits and earnings, along with career development and wealth management, concept of A jubilant businessman jumping atop a growing stack of money coins
Funding
Encoded raises $275M series F for Dravet syndrome gene therapy
Encoded Therapeutics’ lead asset ETX101 is a gene therapy being tested for Dravet syndrome. Phase 1/2 data showed substantial reductions in seizures.
September 10, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac