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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.

Illustration showing a downward graph trend
Regulatory
Future of Aardvark’s Prader-Willi drug in doubt as FDA slaps full hold on program
Aardvark Therapeutics had previously voluntarily suspended studies of ARD-101—and a related asset called ARD-201—after detecting anomalous echocardiographic readings in healthy volunteers that could indicate reduced heart efficiency.
May 15, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Save money and investment concept. Closeup piggy bank and silver coins falling. 3d rendering illustration
Series B
CREATE jumps into CAR T competition with $122M series B
CREATE Medicines is working on a clinical-stage pipeline for cancer, while its autoimmune programs are still in preclinical testing.
May 15, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Solution and strategy path questions and clear planning for ideas in business leadership with a straight path to success choosing the right strategic plan with yellow traffic signs cutting through a maze of highways.
Alzheimer’s disease
Biogen takes tau Alzheimer’s therapy to Phase 3 despite mid-stage fail, prompting cautious optimism
While Biogen’s tau-targeting therapy didn’t demonstrate improvement on a dementia severity scale, the company touted biomarker and cognitive improvements from the Phase 2 study, leaving analysts eager for more data.
May 14, 2026
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Different types of glue on light blue background, flat lay.
Funding
Degron adds $40M to series A, supporting immunology plans for molecular glue platform
Degron Therapeutics will have stiff competition in immunology, as Novartis inked a $5.7 billion agreement with Monte Rosa Therapeutics last year to develop molecular glues for undisclosed immune-mediated conditions.
May 14, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Editable vector illustration of a man winning a race. Hi-res jpeg file included.
Approvals
BeOne wins mantle cell lymphoma approval, opening new therapy class
Beqalzi is the first BCL2 inhibitor approved for relapsed or refractory mantle cell lymphoma.
May 14, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Downsizing or layoff employee, contract termination, loss job from redundancy, dismissal workforce, restructure company, unemployed or outsourcing, businessman hand cut job from organization chart.
Layoffs
Takeda’s ‘transformation program’ leaves 4,500 jobless
While Takeda is eliminating 4,500 roles across its global operations, the company has some 2,200 jobs currently open for hiring, for which internal candidates will be prioritized.
May 14, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
leader crossed forbidden line, leadership vector concept, finish line and winner
Obesity
Lilly maintains weight loss leadership as Foundayo, Zepbound keep pounds off after switching
Despite seeing some regain, patients in two trials maintained most of their weight loss after switching to either Foundayo or lower-dose Zepbound from other injectable incretin therapies.
May 13, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Large hand making pressure over group of small, silhouetted figures. Oppressions, manipulation. Contemporary art collage. Photocopy effect. Concept of world crisis, business, economy, control
FDA
After ‘most damaging period in FDA history,’ Makary will be hard to replace
With Commissioner Marty Makary’s exit, the FDA will enter a period of “unprecedented” and “prolonged” leadership vacuum, analysts at Capital Alpha predicted, noting that the government will have trouble finding someone who will want to take the FDA’s reins.
May 13, 2026
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Inflation Bubble and the Financial. Crisis economic recession. Businessman inflating dollar sign balloon with tire pump. illustration
Venture capital
AI-fueled Isomorphic bags $2.1B, the second largest biotech round ever
Isomorphic Labs, which hasn’t yet disclosed a molecule or reached the clinic, breaks the recent trend of investors putting their money behind more mature and de-risked assets.
May 13, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Business people shaking hand in China.
Business
BMS, Hengrui build 13-asset pipeline in $15B+ onco-immune deal
Of the 13 programs that the companies will advance, four will come from Hengrui Pharma and four from Bristol Myers Squibb. The remaining five assets will be jointly discovered.
May 12, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Indoor boxing ring corner with flooding spotlight .
Cardiovascular disease
BridgeBio stands up to Pfizer in ATTR-CM as late-stage data hint at better survival
Indirect comparisons between BridgeBio’s Attruby and Pfizer’s tafamidis products showed a numerical survival benefit with the biotech’s drug.
May 12, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Recycling symbol with arrows made of brown paper on a green textured background. Top view.
Policy
FDA turns to old drugs to address new diseases, persistent medical needs
The FDA is looking to retool drugs with sufficient evidence to support their use in other indications, particularly those with unmet need.
May 12, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
business
Government
Makary’s reported FDA removal could be ‘broad positive’ for biopharma
The widely covered impending ouster of FDA Commissioner Marty Makary not long after the exit of controversial biologics head Vinay Prasad highlights the severe turnover rates at the highest rungs of leadership at the health department.
May 11, 2026
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Modern collage with halftone hand holding pencil and drawing check mark. Confirmation. Concepts of agreement and choice
Approvals
Partner’s Bizengri cleared by FDA for ultra-rare cancer days after winning priority voucher
Partner Therapeutics announced last week that the FDA had granted Bizengri a Commissioner’s National Priority Voucher to accelerate drug review.
May 11, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Conceptual image of crumpled paper balls as steps leading to a light bulb, symbolizing failure as part of the creative or problem-solving journey toward success
Complete response letters
Published FDA rejections point to manufacturing, data gaps as key stumbling blocks
The FDA’s decision last year to make complete response letters public provides new insight into why therapies sometimes fail to get the regulatory greenlight. Analysts say the information could help sponsors refine their regulatory strategies.
May 11, 2026
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8 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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