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.

Inspiration Business Opportunity. Businessman looks at stairs in the door arrow pointing up
Gene editing
Intellia heads to FDA after notching first late-stage win for in vivo gene editor
With Phase 3 data in hand, Intellia Therapeutics is seeking approval for its in vivo CRISPR gene editing therapy for hereditary angioedema.
April 27, 2026
 · 
3 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Perspective way to invest money. Hands with dollar sign coins around yellow light bulb over blue background
Funding
Rejuvenate crowdfunds development of gene therapy for aging, chronic diseases
George Church’s Rejuvenate Bio is turning to social networks to help fund its work on one-time gene therapies targeting chronic diseases and root causes of aging.
April 27, 2026
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Inclusion of new taxes into the price and increase in cost. Include inflation and costs for pricing. Increase in cost of electricity, fuel, increase in wages for workers or theft in the store.
Drug pricing
J&J puts blockbuster blood thinner Xarelto on TrumpRx
After striking a Most Favored Nation deal with the White House in January, Johnson & Johnson will now offer Xarelto at 68% off on TrumpRx, dropping its price from $611.82 to $197 per 30-pill pack.
April 27, 2026
 · 
2 min read
 · 
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.
Earnings
Daiichi Sankyo shares slip after delaying annual earnings report
Daiichi Sankyo’s full-year report was originally scheduled for April 27 but has now been pushed back to May 11. That same day, the pharma expects to release its five-year business plan.
April 24, 2026
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Dashed line from pills isolated on white
Pipeline
Pfizer culls early PD-L1 asset after series of clinical wins, deals in cancer
Pfizer’s decision to cut its early-stage cancer asset was due to “strategic business reasons” and not driven by safety or efficacy concerns.
April 24, 2026
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Stack of coins balancing on seesaw over a bottle of pills.
Drug pricing
Regeneron finally joins Trump’s drug pricing push while notching landmark approval
Of the 17 companies that were implored by the White House last July to apply Most Favored Nation pricing to their drugs, Regeneron is the last to agree—the same day the FDA greenlit its gene therapy for hearing loss in kids.
April 24, 2026
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
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
Load More