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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.

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Funding
The 6 biggest crossover rounds in biopharma history
A strong crossover raise can suggest that a company has “reached a level of maturity” and could go public soon, according to Sofinnova Investments’ Jim Healy.
October 21, 2026
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8 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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Deals
Lilly puts $1.1B on the line for Hong Kong biotech’s AI drug delivery platform
METiS TechBio’s AiLNP platform uses machine learning models to develop lipid nanoparticles with potentially better tissue specificity that could enhance a drug’s therapeutic performance.
October 20, 2026
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1 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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Inflammatory bowel disease
Gilead’s ‘highly competitive’ mid-stage ulcerative colitis data ‘validate’ I&I push
Gilead’s emvistegrast delivered greater clinical response than placebo, setting up the asset for Phase 3 testing in ulcerative colitis as well as studies in other inflammatory diseases and bolstering the company’s push beyond its HIV portfolio.
October 20, 2026
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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Autoimmune disease
Novartis ends mid-stage Fabhalta study in lupus, insists no efficacy or safety issues
Novartis will continue to study Fabhalta in other indications, with late-stage studies in two rare diseases—atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome and generalized myasthenia gravis—expected to read out later this year and next year, respectively.
October 19, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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cancer
Merck/Moderna, Summit/Akeso and ADCs to headline ESMO 2026
At the European Society of Medical Oncology meeting in Madrid this weekend, analysts will be watching for detailed data on Merck and Moderna’s personalized cancer vaccine, Summit and Akeso’s PD-1xVEGF bispecific therapy, and a host of antibody-drug conjugates.
October 19, 2026
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8 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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Funding
OrbiMed raises two new life sciences funds worth $3B with one aiming for Asia
The sixth cycle of OrbiMed’s Asia Partners fund included one with more than $1 billion earmarked for life science companies based on the Eastern continent.
October 16, 2026
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1 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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Neuroscience
Arrowhead’s blood-brain barrier tech is ‘arguably better’ than others, analysts say after data drop
Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals’ siRNA candidate achieved “compelling” tau reductions in an early study of healthy volunteers, with a magnitude of effect that seems to outperformother blood-brain barrier platforms, according to Stifel.
October 15, 2026
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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Neuropsychiatric disorders
Vanda freezes Novartis-originated social anxiety program after late-stage disappointment
While Oppenheimer doesn’t see the Phase 3 stumble of VQW-765 as highly detrimental to Vanda Pharmaceuticals, the analyst nevertheless believes the stakes are now higher for the company’s planned Q4 readout for Nereus in GLP-1-induced vomiting.
October 15, 2026
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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Obesity
Zealand pens up to $1.2B deal with Generate for AI-designed obesity, metabolic drugs
Obesity-focused Zealand Pharma is buying into Generate:Biomedicines’s generative AI platform to create new multispecific drug candidates.
October 14, 2026
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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Obesity
Verdiva ends mid-stage study of oral GLP-1 amid ‘market evolution’
The candidate is an oral version of ecnoglutide, a subcutaneous formulation of which is approved in China for type 2 diabetes and weight management. Pfizer owns commercialization rights for ecnoglutide in the Asian country.
October 14, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Loss of one drug name. Ban on a drug or its shortage. Exclusion from the list of free drugs available under the medical social program.
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
Syndax ends fibrosis program for Niktimvo after mid-stage disappointment
Syndax Pharmaceuticals will no longer test Niktimvo for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, but the company’s work to expand the drug’s label in chronic graft-versus-host disease, for which it was approved in 2024, will continue.
October 13, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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Deals
Pfizer pens $500M+ deal with Enodia to destroy disease-causing proteins
After Pfizer’s venture arm co-led Enodia Therapeutics’ $25 million seed round in January, the pharma has signed up to collaborate with the biotech on small-molecule drugs to eliminate pathogenic proteins where they’re being made.
October 13, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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Funding
Big Pharma–backed Matchpoint scores $150M series B, advancing autoimmune asset
Matchpoint’s lead asset is the oral T cell modulator MPT-062, which the biotech plans to advance into clinical development for autoimmune and inflammatory conditions next year.
October 8, 2026
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1 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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Funding
Biotech VC Forbion raises record $2.6B to support 30 ‘high-potential’ companies
Forbion participated in the November 2025 series B round of Gate Bioscience, which earlier this week inked an up to $870 million deal extension with Eli Lilly.
October 7, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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CAR-T
Doudna’s CAR T biotech Caribou to end R&D activities, slash staff as financing freezes up
Caribou Biosciences entered the scene in 2011 and went public in 2021. Over the course of its existence, the biotech has received funding and support from a handful of Big Pharma players, including Novartis, AbbVie and Pfizer.
October 7, 2026
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac