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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
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
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Venture capital
5 biggest venture capital raises of Q3 2026
Venture capital continued to flow into biopharma in the third quarter, though experts pointed out that investors remained selective, preferring to put their money behind advanced and derisked assets, as well as AI-driven drugmakers.
October 7, 2026
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8 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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Deals
Shionogi makes $2B rare disease play with IntraBio buy
With its acquisition of IntraBio, Shionogi will gain ownership over Aqneursa, which could hit peak global sales of $1 billion across its two indications in Niemann-Pick disease type C and ataxia-telangiectasia, according to Jefferies.
October 6, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
One not like other, Contrarian, On contrary, opposite, be against the trend and be non-conformist 3d render
Lymphoma
AbbVie, Genmab’s Epkinly sets ‘new standard of care’ in first-line lymphoma in Phase 3
AbbVie and Genmab’s bispecific antibody blew analyst expectations out of the water with a 51% improvement in progression-free survival when used alongside a standard frontline regimen in diffuse large B cell lymphoma—potentially setting up a battle with Roche’s Polivy.
October 6, 2026
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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Deals
CSL strikes up to $1.6B deal with Alentis for autoimmune drug with broad potential
CSL will co-develop and co-promote Alentis Therapeutics’ anti-claudin-1 therapy lixudebart for kidney and liver conditions, including primary sclerosing cholangitis and a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by small blood vessel inflammation.
October 5, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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Women’s health
Kailera, Hengrui’s GLP-1/GIP candidate delivers weight, menstrual benefits to women with PMOS
Kailera Therapeutics and Hengrui Pharma’s weekly injection showed benefits beyond weight loss in a mid-stage trial, leading to more regular menstrual cycles in patients with polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome.
October 2, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Illustration showing a handshake, signaling cooperation, goodwill
Deals
Novartis bets up to $7.8B for an mRNA-encoded T cell engager from China’s Abogen
Novartis is licensing an mRNA-based therapy designed to produce a CD3xCD19 T cell engager inside the body. Abogen Biosciences says the in vivo approach could reduce the likelihood of dangerous cytokine release.
October 2, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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Drug Development
Merck’s antibody impresses with ‘highly competitive’ data in chronic skin disease
Merck has revealed detailed data for tulisokibart from a mid-stage trial in hidradenitis suppurativa that analysts say could help carve out a place in a crowded market that already includes AbbVie’s Humira and UCB’s Bimzelx.
October 1, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Business negotiation, deal making or acquisition, merger vector concept. Two men shaking hands. Minimal design. Eps10 illustration
Immunology and inflammation
Sanofi pays Regeneron $1B upfront to continue search for Dupixent successor
Sanofi and Regeneron have had a long and “sometimes contentious” partnership, BMO Capital Markets noted, as the companies contend with the looming loss of exclusivity of their blockbuster drug Dupixent.
October 1, 2026
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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Weight loss
Lilly builds commercial case for GLP-1 products over Novo with indirect analyses
Eli Lilly’s weight loss pill Foundayo has had a “slower-than-hoped” launch, according to BMO Capital Markets, which contended that the indirect comparison data—despite falling short of definitive proof of superiority—could help the Indiana giant build momentum for its oral drug.
September 30, 2026
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3 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.
Obesity
Roche cuts muscle-sparing obesity drug after mid-stage disappointment
Roche’s anti-myostatin therapy emugrobart is unlikely to elicit meaningful weight loss, according to an interim mid-stage analysis, prompting the pharma to return the asset rights to its subsidiary Chugai Pharmaceutical.
September 29, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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Business
Summit snags $2B investment from AstraZeneca, clearing financial overhang
The all-stock deal gives Summit Therapeutics enough money to see through Phase 3 trials for the PD-1/VEGF bispecific ivonescimab—but keeps the asset fully in-house without giving up licensing rights.
September 29, 2026
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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Approvals
AbbVie wins FDA approval for Parkinson’s drug from $8.7B Cerevel takeover
In the Phase 3 TEMPO program, AbbVie’s Juvmo elicited significant improvements in motor symptoms and prolonged periods with good symptom control.
September 28, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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Lung cancer
Merck, Daiichi Sankyo retract accelerated approval request for lung cancer ADC
Merck and Daiichi Sankyo’s withdrawal of an accelerated approval request for the antibody-drug conjugate ifinatamab deruxtecan is a “net positive” for rivals like GSK and Roche, according to RBC Capital Markets.
September 28, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac