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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.

two Businessman Fighting on seesaw
Obesity
Novo takes first round of oral obesity duel. Can it stay ahead of Lilly?
Despite coming away with an early victory over Eli Lilly in the oral obesity face-off, analysts don’t expect Novo Nordisk’s lead to last for very long.
August 19, 2026
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7 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Accumulated problems, contradictions. Dead end, we need to go back. You cannot continue further. Complete impossibility to continue. Rejection of an idea. Hard sanctions. Fatal error.
Pipeline
Regeneron ends eye disease study due to antibody’s safety profile
The discontinuation of the uveitis study adds to Regeneron’s series of clinical setbacks, including the Phase 3 failures of the Dupixent follow-up itepekimab and an investigational combo regimen for melanoma.
August 18, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Target concept vector illustration. Business goal, marketing strategy, digital aim, bullseye accuracy, cyber challenge, innovation target, focus objective, dart board, internet market.
Metabolic disorders
Amylyx eyes FDA filing for GLP-1 blocker after late-stage win in post-bariatric hypoglycemia
With a Phase 3 trial showing a reduction of serious and severe hypoglycemic episodes in patients who have undergone weight loss surgery, Amylyx Pharmaceuticals plans to file for approval this year. If granted market entry, avexitide could hit peak sales of $1.7 billion worldwide, analysts estimate.
August 18, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Electricity saving, ecology awareness or reduce electric cost and expense concept, man pulling electric cord to unplug to save money or for ecology power.
Lung cancer
AstraZeneca pulls plug on late-stage lung cancer trial, taking another clinical blow
AstraZeneca will push through with its other Phase 3 studies for volrustomig, including in cervical cancer and mesothelioma.
August 17, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Modern collage with two hands tie a knot in a rope. Tug of war. Two hands pull on a rope with a knot in the middle. Strong connections concept. Successful business deal. Newspaper elements
IgA nephropathy
Vera’s newly approved IgA nephropathy drug supports kidney function, like Otsuka’s Voyxact
Otsuka Pharmaceuticals’ Voyxact is not the only IgA nephropathy drug that can slow the decline of kidney function. Vera Therapeutics’ Trutakna, which the FDA granted accelerated approval last month, showed “impressive” stabilization, analysts say.
August 17, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Final Trust, Two Businessmen Negotiating on a Rope That's About to Break
CAR-T
J&J hands lymphoma bispecific CAR T back to AbelZeta
Johnson & Johnson secured rights to prizlon-cel in 2023 for $245 million upfront. The asset in June last year showed a 100% response rate as a second-line option in a Phase 1b study for 10 patients with relapsed or refractory large B cell lymphoma.
August 17, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
A businessman solves the company's obstacles and stops the damage in the company's business.
Approvals
BMS welcomes new multiple myeloma drug as generics batter current portfolio
The FDA approves Zenbexus just as copycat competitors depress sales of Bristol Myers Squibb’s multiple myeloma drugs Pomalyst and Revlimid, which crashed 71% and 49% year-on-year, respectively, in the second quarter.
August 14, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
big hands mean pressure that crushes someone mean an officer concept flat illustration Business about hard work and pressure for presentation
Regulatory
Pressure piles on Amgen after EU pulls Tavneos, flags ‘serious breaches’ in pivotal study
Sponsors of the pivotal study behind Amgen’s rare disease drug Tavneos saw unblinded findings for the drug and re-adjudicated data from nine patients to make the drug seem effective, according to European regulators.
August 14, 2026
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2 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
Rare diseases
Zealand sells milestone, royalty rights to rare blood cancer asset for up to $100M
The terms of the agreement with Royalty Pharma suggest the market potential of Zealand Pharma’s polycythemia vera drug candidate may be undervalued, according to Jefferies analysts.
August 13, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Business bankruptcy assistance concept. businessman on a paper boat and rescues a drowning man vector
Bankruptcy
Bankrupt Sangamo offloads assets to Lilly, PTC in $161M sale
PTC Therapeutics emerged as the winning bidder over Astellas for Sangamo Therapeutics’ Fabry disease gene therapy, while Eli Lilly is purchasing the biotech’s prion disease program and several platforms.
August 13, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Lawyer legal documents. Businessman and legal documents with judgment hammer symbol. vector
Legal
Lilly cracks down on black market for obesity asset retatrutide with six lawsuits
Beyond the legal action, Eli Lilly is calling on healthcare providers, regulatory authorities, online platforms and even logistics companies to help stem the illegal sale of its next-generation asset for weight loss.
August 12, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Lung organ anatomy symbol for health and medical illustrations. vector, illustration.
Rare diseases
Sentynl bets up to $475M in licensing deal for Mereo’s rare lung disease asset
Mereo BioPharma’s asset, dubbed alvelestat, is set to enter Phase 3 development for AATD-LD in 2027.
August 12, 2026
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1 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Successful businessman throwing green line graph arrow to hit target on rising banknotes bar graph for financial growth profit and cash flow investment achievement concept
Earnings
BridgeBio continues ATTR ascent as Alnylam’s Amvuttra falls short of expectations
BridgeBio Pharma’s transthyretin amyloidosis medicine Attruby is off to a strong launch, while Alnylam lowered full-year sales guidance for competitor Amvuttra.
August 12, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
A robot hand and a doctor's hand with a medical technology icon. A concept for human and AI collaboration in healthcare, robotic-assisted surgery, and the future of medicine.
Artificial intelligence
With tech backing, AI biotechs force biopharma into ‘fail-fast’ drug development
AI is quickly becoming a central force in drug development, from powering pharma engines to permanently rewiring the capital markets.
August 12, 2026
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6 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Fashionable halftone collage. Concept of wealth, saving, saving and saving money. Money bag with dollar stacks and stacks of coins. Vector illustration of business and finance for web banner, social media banner, marketing material. Vector illustration
Funding
Epicrispr, Infinimmune snag combined $165M in VC cash
Epicrispr Biotechnologies is working on an epigenetic medicine for facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy, while Infinimmune will advance a pair of antibodies for atopic dermatitis.
August 11, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac