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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.

A two old parchment scrolls with a quill in a inkwell on a white background
IPO
Scribe reels in nearly $129M in rare early-stage IPO for a gene editing biotech
Jennifer Doudna–founded Scribe Therapeutics intends to use the proceeds from the public offering—the first for a gene editing outfit in over two years—to support development of its epigenetic silencing therapy for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
July 24, 2026
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Illustration of man's surreal path, business abstract concept
Earnings
Summit has less than a year of cash runway left as PD-1/VEGF verdict nears
Summit’s star asset is the PD-1/VEGF bispecific ivonescimab, which this week produced promising survival data from a late-stage global trial in non-small cell lung cancer. The FDA review is ongoing with a decision expected by Nov. 14.
July 24, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Sorting garbage concept. Cropped photo of paper thash. Crumple paper falling to the recycling bin
Obesity
Roche cans one Carmot obesity asset as another shows best-in-class potential
Acmopatide met the main goal of a Phase 2 study in type 1 diabetes, but Roche is axing the investigational drug to prioritize enicepatide for weight loss, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular outcomes. Both assets come from the $2.7 billion buy of Carmot Therapeutics.
July 24, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Winter season driving tips and traffic regulation rules. Heavy snow covered "snow and ice" road sign. Close-up view. Flat vector illustration template.
Complete response letters
Update: FDA does not freeze CRL trove as ‘radical transparency’ push hits speedbump
An unnamed pharma filed a citizen petition in April seeking reforms to the way the FDA publicly releases rejection letters, alleging that the policy “contravenes decades of agency practice.”
July 23, 2026
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Businessman in starting position ready to sprint run stock illustration
Obesity
Lilly preps FDA run for ‘triple-G’ weight loss drug with Phase 3 data
With weight loss topping 20% at 80 weeks in the Phase 3 TRIUMPH-2 and TRIUMPH-3 trials, Eli Lilly plans to file for retatrutide’s approval in the first quarter of 2027. Previously a filing was expected later this year.
July 23, 2026
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Cash flow, making profit from business or earning from stock investment concept, wealthy businessman business owner or investor opening water tap to let gold dollar coins money flowing out.
Earnings
Roche’s late stage pipeline ‘so full,’ CEO Schinecker not feeling pressure to add on
Roche has 19 investigational medicines that could launch by 2030—and even if not all of them make it to market, the company is “well set-up for growth into the next decade,” CEO Thomas Schinecker said on the pharma’s Q2 earnings call.
July 23, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
A contemporary artistic collage featuring a hand holding a trophy. The concept of victory and achievement.
Approvals
GSK’s $10.6B Nuvalent bet pays off early as FDA approves lung cancer drug
Jideytro is GSK’s first approved product for lung cancer. With its takeover of Nuvalent Bio last month and a deal with Hansoh Pharmaceutical in 2023, the pharma now has several other lung cancer assets in late-stage development.
July 23, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
A boxing match between the USA and China
China
US ‘eroding’ lead in rare diseases a matter of national security: Report
A Congressional advisory panel recommends the U.S. government put supportive policies in place for rare disease drug development, such as a finalized platform designation from the FDA and the allowance of novel trial designs for small patient populations.
July 22, 2026
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4 min read
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Tristan Manalac
syringe in a vial with a radioactive symbol against a background of antibodies
Radiopharmaceuticals
Novartis scraps mid-stage radiopharma asset as Pluvicto soars
The discontinued asset, being trialed for breast cancer and solid tumors, had yielded disappointing data, leading to Novartis’ decision to abandon development, according to a company spokesperson.
July 22, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Partnership handshake with world map background. Business concept
Earnings
Novartis stays ‘geography-agnostic’ in dealmaking amid flurry of China deals
Novartis will continue to be on the lookout for bolt-on deals below $2 billion, CEO Vas Narasimhan said Tuesday on the pharma’s second quarter earnings call—though major pickups aren’t completely off the table.
July 21, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
People are looking far ahead on the growth graph..
Duchenne muscular dystrophy
Dyne gets early 2027 decision date for Duchenne therapy, analysts expect ‘smooth’ review
If approved, Dyne Therapeutics’ zeleciment rostudirsen could “capture the majority” of the exon-51 Duchenne muscular dystrophy market, given its better efficacy and dosing profile versus Sarepta Therapeutics’ exon-skipping therapy Exondys 51, the current standard of care, according to Oppenheimer.
July 21, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
A flower in the middle of the desert
IPO
2026 IPO class blooms again as BlossomHill, Latigo set sights on Nasdaq
Eighteen companies have gone public this year so far, putting 2026 on pace to record the highest number of IPOs since the pandemic-driven high of 2021.
July 20, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Man jumping, running, and winner holding trophy. Competition, challenge, risk and reward concept. Vector illustration.
IgA nephropathy
Vertex’s IgA nephropathy drug derisked after Novartis, Vera approvals
The FDA is currently reviewing Vertex Pharmaceuticals’ povetacicept, with a target action date of Nov. 30. If approved, the drug could benefit from campaigns from Novartis and Vera Therapeutics for their recently approved IgAN therapies Fabhalta and Trutakna.
July 20, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Contemporary art collage of a hand holding scissors. Copy space for ad. Modern design.
Business
GSK culls cough program for drug at the heart of $2B Bellus bet after Phase 3 fail
Camlipixant, which GSK picked up in its $2 billion buyout of Bellus Health in April 2023, “is unlikely to transform patient care,” the pharma said.
July 17, 2026
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1 min read
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Tristan Manalac
A pay raise signals salary increase, income growth, rising investment profits and earnings, along with career development and wealth management, concept of A jubilant businessman jumping atop a growing stack of money coins
Cardiovascular disease
Insmed moves closer to $6B opportunity as PAH drug shows long-term durability
Insmed’s inhalable candidate showed “impressive” long-term efficacy in pulmonary arterial hypertension, according to analysts at Guggenheim Partners, with functional and biomarker improvements through one year of follow-up.
July 17, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac