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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.

Trustworthy and honesty to believe in work together, integrity or trust for partnership, support and reliable to help success together concept, businessman acrobat hold hand tight by trusted partner.
Deals
GSK inks another Asia alliance, betting up to $1.3B for HUTCHMED’s cancer therapy
For $110 million upfront, GSK will have the exclusive global right to advance HMPL-A830, which combines an EGFR-targeting antibody with a small-molecule KRAS blocker. The asset will be studied for colorectal, pancreatic and lung cancer.
September 3, 2026
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Tristan Manalac
Market failure, recession. Businessman falling into the trap. vector
Rare diseases
Ultragenyx’s ‘high-risk’ Angelman bet fails, cratering stock and forcing strategic review
The success of apazunersen in a Phase 3 trial for Angelman syndrome was a key driver of Ultragenyx’s value, according to William Blair, and the asset’s failure robs the biotech of any meaningful near-term milestones.
September 3, 2026
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Tristan Manalac
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FDA
Replimune’s melanoma drug would have been rejected again if not for senior CBER official
The FDA’s primary review team found that Replimune hadn’t sufficiently addressed deficiencies that had been pointed out in the two prior rejection letters for the melanoma therapy Tudriqev.
September 3, 2026
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Tristan Manalac
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Regulatory
Tavneos no longer available for new patients in UK as Amgen awaits FDA hearing
CSL Vifor holds the marketing authorization for Tavneos in the U.K., where the drug is marketed as Avacopan Vifor. It continues to be sold on the U.S. market by Amgen despite concerns raised by the FDA.
September 2, 2026
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Tristan Manalac
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Multiple sclerosis
Novartis’ Rhapsido cuts MS progression in Phase 3 trial, teeing up Roche battle
Novartis is planning to file for remibrutinib’s expanded approval in relapsing multiple sclerosis by next year, putting it just behind Roche’s own BTK inhibitor fenebrutinib.
September 2, 2026
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Tristan Manalac
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Layoffs
ArsenalBio sacrifices ‘majority’ of staff in pivot to in vivo CAR T
After downsizing by 50% last year, Arsenal Biosciences is again laying off employees. This time, 99 people are getting cut as part of a strategic shift to focus the company’s R&D efforts on in vivo CAR T therapies.
September 1, 2026
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Tristan Manalac
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Drug pricing
9 midsize drugmakers climb aboard Trump’s MFN train
Astellas Pharma, BridgeBio, BeOne Medicines and six other large biotechs join the 17 Big Pharmas that previously signed on to President Donald Trump’s Most Favored Nation (MFN) drug pricing program, representing some 89% of the branded drug market.
September 1, 2026
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Tristan Manalac
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CAR-T
Novartis pauses CAR T studies due to 3 deaths; BMS follows suit after safety events
Novartis suspended multiple studies of a CAR T candidate after three patients who received the therapy suffered fatal cases of immune effector cell-associated hemophagocytic syndrome. BMS, meanwhile, paused some CAR T trials after separately observing “transient and reversible inflammatory events” with its therapy.
September 1, 2026
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Tristan Manalac
Business decisions. Businessman with question mark confused many roads vector
Cardiovascular disease
Arrowhead’s new Redemplo findings in severe hypertriglyceridemia have analysts split
Safety and dosing are likely to be “key differentiators” for Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals as it looks to challenge Ionis Pharmaceuticals’ lead in the severe hypertriglyceridemia market.
August 31, 2026
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Tristan Manalac
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Mergers & acquisitions
Deal-hungry Lilly strikes up to $2.9B immuno play for Merida
With the acquisition of Merida Biosciences, Eli Lilly is gaining a precision degradation platform for therapies that selectively target and destroy pathologic antibodies for allergic and autoimmune diseases.
August 31, 2026
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Tristan Manalac
Business man jumping over barriers
Approvals
Takeda, Protagonist score broad FDA nod in rare blood cancer, setting up $2B opportunity
The approval of rusfertide—now to be branded Mimrylo—for polycythemia vera marks a key win for Takeda, which now has crossed the FDA finish line for two of three critical product launches slated for the coming year.
August 31, 2026
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Tristan Manalac
Business people shaking hand in China.
Antibody-drug conjugate (ADC)
Genentech strikes second Asia deal in a week, betting up to $1B in oncology ADC alliance with DualityBio
Through its DualityBio deal, Roche’s Genentech hopes to create antibody-drug conjugates with payloads that can circumvent growing cancer drug resistance.
August 28, 2026
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Tristan Manalac
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Approvals
Priovant nabs first FDA approval for targeted tablet in dermatomyositis
Lisraya carries a boxed warning typical of JAK inhibitors, but otherwise has a broad label that allows use in all adults with the rare autoimmune disease, setting up the drug for blockbuster status in a few years, according to Leerink.
August 28, 2026
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Tristan Manalac
two Businessman Fighting on seesaw
Immunology and inflammation
AstraZeneca, Amgen poised to challenge Dupixent’s reign with esophagitis win
Even without specific Phase 3 data yet revealed, analysts see AstraZeneca and Amgen’s Tezspire as a potential threat for Dupixent in eosinophilic esophagitis.
August 28, 2026
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Tristan Manalac
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Cancer
RevMed could become ‘next oncology titan’ with Rasonque nod
A future expansion of Rasonque into first-line pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma could set Revolution Medicines up to hit $2.3 billion in sales by 2028, according to Truist Securities.
August 27, 2026
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Tristan Manalac