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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.

Reducing the dose of medicine. Splitting the pills. Health care and medication. White medical pill broken into three pieces on blue background.
Regulatory
GSK again pulls application for leucovorin, touted by FDA as potential autism treatment
GSK discontinued Wellcovorin in 1999, but the FDA in September last year asked the pharma to refile an application, pointing to its potential to treat cerebral folate deficiency with “autistic features.”
April 10, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Finding Talent. Big Hands with Magnifying Glass Recruiting People. vector
Regulatory
FDA probes abortion pill anew after court keeps mail access alive
A Louisiana court on April 7 asked the FDA to complete its internal review of mifepristone’s safety and gave the agency six months to provide the court with an update on the investigation.
April 10, 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
Avalyn plots IPO to push inhaled pulmonary fibrosis pipeline through clinic
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 9, 2026
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7 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Craftsmen are using silicone adhesives for general and industrial applications.
Deals
Roche sticks with C4T, adding up to $1B for molecular glue partnership
Roche is jumping into degrader-antibody conjugates, a modality that in recent years has attracted investments from Merck KGaA and Bristol Myers Squibb.
April 9, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Japanese-style New Year's card template for the year of the snake1 (horizontal type) (without greeting text) Snake, Mt. Fuji, sunrise, clouds
Funding
Novartis-backed Sidewinder collects $137M series B to strike at difficult-to-treat tumors
Sidewinder Therapeutics’ bispecific antibody-drug conjugates target pairs of receptors found on cancer cells, which the company claims improves their specificity and minimizes off-target effects.
April 9, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Business people and concepts vector art exit
Government
PhMRA’s long-standing leader Steve Ubl to leave lobby group by year-end
Industry leader Steve Ubl has served as PhRMA’s CEO for more than a decade, the longest tenure of any head of the trade group.
April 9, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
fail the exam, bad work, paper recycling, a crumpled sheet of paper is thrown into the wastebasket
Dermatology
Insmed Scraps Skin Plans for Lung Disease Drug as Competitors Make Headway
After a Phase 2 flop, Brinsupri exits the race to market for the chronic skin disease hidradenitis suppurativa, but other companies, including Incyte, Novartis and UCB, have recently notched clinical and regulatory victories.
April 8, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Large sharp meat cleaver sticking out of a rustic wood cutting board on a grey background. 3d render.
Mergers & acquisitions
Merck Chopped $1B Off Terns’ Offer After Seeing Updated Leukemia Data
Another bidder, which remains unidentified, dropped out of the bidding process. Analysts at William Blair now think it unlikely that another suitor could offer a counter-proposal to Merck’s outstanding $6.7 billion acquisition offer.
April 8, 2026
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Many various colored tablets and pills are stacked in shopping cart, percent signs are around. Concept of buying of medicines, online sales of medication, discounts and promotions in pharmacy
Drug pricing
AbbVie Puts Humira on TrumpRx at Steep Discount as Tariff Threat Solidifies
Humira will be available on TrumpRx at an 86% discount, according to media reports, as part of AbbVie’s deal with the White House to avoid tariffs. The news comes less than a week after the president announced up to 100% levies on pharma products.
April 7, 2026
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1 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Scanner on blue human eye
Immunology and inflammation
Amgen Seeks ‘Return to Growth’ for Tepezza as More Convenient Formulation Aces Phase 3
Sales of Amgen’s thyroid eye disease drug Tepezza have slowed, dipping 1% to $457 million in the fourth quarter of 2025.
April 7, 2026
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Successful businessman standing in front of multiple pathways, making a decision for the right move. A symbol of great investment and positive progress in the development of business. stock illustration
Government
FDA’s 2027 Budget Proposes Permanent Rare Disease Vouchers, Easier Entry to Clinic
If the Trump administration’s proposal passes, the FDA’s budget will be more than $200 million bigger in 2027, with plans to launch new programs that expedite drug development, boost national security and promote “radical transparency.”
April 7, 2026
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Big fish eats small, takeover of the company. Art collage.
Mergers & acquisitions
Neurocrine Nabs Rare Obesity Disorder Drug in ‘Surprising’ $2.9B Soleno Deal
While an acquisition is a good exit for Soleno Therapeutics, the company’s acceptance of Neurocrine Biosciences’ $53-per-share offer came as a surprise to Stifel analysts given the potential growth of Vykat XR, approved last year for extreme hunger in patients with Prader-Willi syndrome.
April 6, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Contemporary art collage of hand holding an arrow showing fall. Modern design. Copy space.
Pipeline
Pharma Pipeline Stalls for First Time in Decades: Citeline
Some disease areas bucked the trend of shrinking pipelines, however, with immune and cardiovascular indications seeing an upward trend in investigational assets.
April 6, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Close-up Of Businessperson Shaking Hands With Robot
Mergers & acquisitions
AI Giant Anthropic Leans Into Life Sciences With $400M Coefficient Bio Catch
Anthropic in October last year iterated its Claude AI model to better cater to biopharma purposes. Sanofi, Novo Nordisk, AbbVie and others already use Claude in their operations.
April 6, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Two hands locked in a handshake cut by a pair of scissors, symbolizing a severed relationship or partnership. Black and white collage illustration on paper textured background
Neurodegenerative diseases
Takeda Breaks Up With Denali, Dumps Dementia Drug
Takeda and Denali Therapeutics first partnered in early 2018 to advance drugs for neurodegenerative diseases. One asset, for Alzheimer’s disease, was previously discontinued after an FDA hold and disappointing early data.
April 6, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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